England's decision to move on from James Anderson was made with the aim of preparing a new generation of bowlers for the next Ashes series, says Ben Stokes.
Anderson – England's all-time leading wicket-taker with 700 in 187 red-ball matches – will play his final Test against West Indies at Lord's this week.
The 41-year-old is not going out on his own terms, insisting on Monday that he is bowling as well as he ever has but saying he has been forced to "make peace" with the decision.
Gus Atkinson will make his Test debut against the Windies, while Dillon Pennington and Matthew Potts are competing to replace Anderson when the three-match series moves to Nottingham.
England's revamp of their bowling attack comes after they failed to reclaim the Ashes on home soil last year, drawing a rain-affected series 2-2.
They head down under for the next edition in 2025-26, and Stokes says they will use the intervening time to blood a new generation of talent.
"You look at how long it's been since we've played a Test match, I think it's been five months," England's red-ball captain told reporters on Tuesday.
"When you have a lot of time off, you've got a lot of time to think about how you can take the team forward.
"I've been captain for two years, so it's about progressing this team. Especially for the first two years, we've been very focused on the here and now of what we need to do.
"But for me, I want to be able to implement stuff to push this team as far as they can go, not only as a collective but also as individuals.
"If you look at where we've got to go in 18 months' time, to Australia… we want to win that urn back.
"We've got an incredibly talented and exciting group of bowlers coming through at the moment, so giving them the experience of playing international cricket, getting Test matches under their belt, will put us in a much stronger position to win the Ashes."
Anderson's farewell comes at a venue where he has taken 119 Test wickets, the second-most of any player at a particular venue after Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo (166).
"He's an amazing bowler. There's no doubt that he could still go out there and play Test cricket, because he is good enough," Stokes said of Anderson.
"But when we spoke with Jimmy, we laid it out with him and gave him our reasons, and he totally understood it.
"This week will all be about Jimmy, and rightly so, but I can tell you his main focus is about going out there, taking wickets and trying to win this game for England."
Windies players register positive moves on ICC Test rankings despite crushing defeats to England
Despite two crushing defeats to England so far in their ongoing ICC Test Championship three-match series, West Indies players remain on the up, at least where the ICC Men’s Test rankings are concerned.
Captain Kraigg Brathwaite leads the charge on the batting ranking, as he moved up two slots to 40th position, following scores of 48 and 47 in the second Test, which West Indies lost by 241 runs. They lost the first Test by an innings and 114 runs and will try to avoid a whitewash in the final Test in Edgbaston starting on Friday.
Wicketkeeper/batsman Joshua de Silva was rewarded for his first innings score of 82 in that match, as he jumped seven places to 61st, while Jason Holder’s 27 and 37 saw him inched up two places to 70th. Kavem Hodge’s 120, which was his maiden Test century, pushed him into the top 80.
The Dominican batsman moved 21 places up to 75th, one spot behind Kyle Mayers, who, despite being out of action, remains in 74th. Alick Athanaze held firm in 77th, while discarded Jermaine Blackwood (50th), Tagenarine Chanderpaul (83rd), Roston Chase (86th), and Kirk McKenzie (100) are the other Caribbean batsmen in the top 100.
On the bowling chart, new-ball bowlers Alzarri Joseph and Jayden Seales made the only notable improvements to their rankings. Joseph moved up two places to 33rd after finishing with five wickets in the match, and Seales moved up 10 places from 44th to 34th with six wickets.
Meanwhile, England batter Harry Brook has achieved a career-best third position after notching a century in the second Test.
Brook, who scored 36 and 109 in Nottingham, advanced four places, while his teammates Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope have also made significant gains in the latest weekly update to the men’s rankings, which are carried out on Wednesdays across formats.
Left-handed opener Duckett has progressed six places to 16th position after notching scores of 71 and 76, while Player of the Match Pope has advanced from 29th to 21st with scores of 121 and 51.
Chris Woakes is back into the top 20 of the bowling rankings for the first time since September 2021, after he finished with four for 84 and two for 28 in the match, while spinner Shoaib Bashir has advanced 18 slots to 53rd position after he took his third five-wicket haul in just his fifth Test.
In the ICC World Test Championship standings, England are placed in sixth place, while West Indies are ninth, as per the percentage points that determine qualification.
Ashes in Archer's sight as paceman aims for England Test return in 2025
Jofra Archer says he wants to play in the 2025-26 Ashes series in Australia as he outlined his intentions for a return to Test cricket with England.
Archer has not been part of England's Test side since February 2021, with the paceman having struggled with numerous injuries over the last few years.
He performed well in the 2019 Ashes, taking 22 wickets at an average of 20.27, and his full involvement in England's recent T20 World Cup campaign hints at a return to the longer format.
His pace would be ideal on Australia's bouncy pitches and a real asset to captain Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum as they aim to win an Ashes series down under for the first time in 14 years.
Nevertheless, Archer's fitness is being carefully monitored by the management team and he will not play any red-ball cricket in 2024.
When asked about the possibility of being involved in the Ashes, Archer said: "I am going to use the rest of the year to make sure this is at least a possibility.
"I'm tired of going on Instagram and seeing posts saying 'He's going to be on the physio's bed in the next two weeks' and stuff like that.
"I want to spend the rest of the year proving some people wrong and hopefully play in another Ashes."
Archer himself also said that he would be keen to play first-class cricket for Sussex early next summer.
Speaking as part of BBC Sport's coverage for the opening match of the Hundred, the 29-year-old said: "I will manage myself as best as possible and get myself through until at least maybe the start of the Championship next year.
"I'll probably play a few of those games and keep building up and getting that workload ready for Test cricket."
He will make his debut in the 100-ball competition on Wednesday for Southern Brave against London Spirit at the Utilita Bowl.
Akeem Jordan joins West Indies squad for final Test against England
Fast bowler Jeremiah Louis has been ruled out of the final Test between West Indies and England due to a hamstring injury, Cricket West Indies (CWI) announced in a statement. In response, the visitors have opted for a like-for-like replacement, bringing Akeem Jordan into the squad.
Louis, who did not feature in the first two Tests, sustained the injury during the second Test at Trent Bridge. He will stay with the squad to receive further treatment. Meanwhile, Jordan, who was playing cricket in the UK at the time of his call-up, has already joined the squad and will participate in Wednesday's training session at Edgbaston.
Jordan is yet to make his Test debut but has made a mark in 19 first-class games, taking 67 wickets since 2022 at an average of 24.10. His impressive performances include two five-wicket hauls, with a best innings haul of 5 for 44.
The West Indies squad already includes seam-bowling options like Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph, Jayden Seales, and allrounder Jason Holder. Despite their efforts, the visitors are currently 2-0 down in the series, having lost the Richards-Botham Trophy with one game still to go. The West Indies faced heavy defeats at Lord's by an innings and 114 runs, and at Trent Bridge by 241 runs last week.
The third Test is set to commence on Friday, July 26, at Edgbaston, where the West Indies will be hoping to salvage some pride and end the series on a positive note.
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