London: Speedster James Anderson has been named as England`s Test vice-captain in absence of Ben Stokes, who will miss the series in wake of Bristol street brawl incident. The veteran England fast bowler will take over the post for the coming Ashes series in Australia, reported the Guardian.
Anderson holds the record of most wickets for England in both one-day international (ODI) and Test cricket. The 35-year-old had earlier said he is open to the position and insisted that he has long held a leadership role within the team with support from former skipper Alastair Cook and fast bowler Stuart Broad.
Anderson, England`s all-time leading wicket-taker with 506 wickets in 129 Tests, will look to add experience to the squad that has already faced setbacks as some of its key players are missing due to injuries.
The team is already missing Stokes, Mark Wood (heel) and Toby Roland-Jones (back); and their fast-bowling stocks are being stretched. On Thursday, pacer Jake Ball sustained an ankle sprain during a tour match against Cricket Australia XI in Adelaide.
Earlier this week, Steven Finn was ruled out of the Ashes series with a knee injury and was replaced by Tom Curran. Toby Roland-Jones is already absent from the series due to a stress fracture in his lower back.
The Ashes begins on November 23 with the first Test.
