Australia batter names four bowlers who could replace retiring England hero James Anderson

James Anderson’s Test career is coming to an end (Picture: Getty)

Australia’s Marnus Labuschagne has heaped praise on ‘phenomenal’ James Anderson but insists England can cope without the all-time great as he prepares to walk away from Test cricket.

Anderson – who has taken 700 Test wickets, more than any other pace bowler in history – will play his 188th and final Test when England kick-start their three-match series against West Indies at Lord’s in July.

The 41-year-old opted to retire after the England management – which includes head coach Brendon McCullum, director of cricket Rob Key and Test captain Ben Stokes – told him they wanted to look to the future.

Anderson’s impending retirement comes less than a year after his long-time partner in crime Stuart Broad also walked away from the Test game, meaning England are losing more than 1,300 wickets and 354 matches of experience.

Despite the huge void, former world number one batter Labuschagne believes England’s bowling stocks are in good shape and has named four potential replacements for Anderson.

‘I think one thing for English cricket is you’ve got some really quality young bowlers coming through and that’s really exciting,’ said Labuschagne, who played in last summer’s Ashes series against England.

‘I mean the likes of [Matthew] Potts, [Josh] Tongue, Cookie [Sam Cook] from Essex, Ollie [Robinson], there’s some good talent and it will be nice to see English bowlers develop over the next few years.

Marnus Labuschagne enjoyed his battles with Anderson (Picture: Getty)

‘I think the question that’s always on people’s mind is durability and to have the likes of Anderson and Broad just be there, year in year out, bodies always good, getting through Test matches, that’s always the next step.

‘I think the skills and ability are there, but it’s a different thing. Jimmy’s almost played 200 Test matches, so to have that is very special.’

Reflecting on some of his battles with Anderson, Labuschagne added: ‘Jimmy’s a phenomenal bowler and still is – his skill, his understanding of conditions.

‘You just look at when England went to India and his ability to navigate those conditions and be so effective, and be able to create opportunities.

‘Even though over the years he has dropped a bit of pace, his skills are just immaculate, so it’s going to be sad to see the end for Jimmy because I think he has added so much for the game.

‘When he’s on top you’re just trying to find your way out. We’ve had some good battles over my time – the last Ashes was a pretty good battle at Lord’s and we’ve had some good county cricket battles.

England also lost Stuart Broad last year (Picture: Getty)

‘I think he got me out at Old Trafford a few years ago. You always lift your game to a new standard when Jimmy’s out on the field.’

Anderson will warm up for his final Test by playing two games for Lancashire in June, against Kent at Canterbury and Nottinghamshire at Southport.

England face the Windies in two more Tests following Anderson’s final appearance at Lord’s before hosting Sri Lanka in another three-match series later in the summer.

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