James Anderson Farewell: England have announced their squad for the first two Tests against West Indies, as the sides are all-set to lock horns in the three-match Test series in England. The Test series will also mark as the farewell of England's greatest ever fast bowler — James Anderson, and the English supporters will be seeing the very last of 'Jimmy' in an English white shirt.
The 41-year old is a legend of the sport and ever since his debut in 2003 against Zimbabwe at Lord's, it will be 'The Home of Cricket' Lord's that will mark his final ever international appearance, as after 187 matches and 700 wickets, the right-arm pacer will call it a day.
The English squad has seen some big and surprising omissions, with out-of-form Jonny Bairstow being dropped, and Chris Woakes returns to the red-ball circuit of England since Ashes 2023. The squad will see some notable changes, as few fresh faces will be in the contention to make an impact against the Caribbeans.
"The first Test of the summer is always a special moment, but it will be extra poignant with it being Jimmy’s (Anderson) last Test before he retires. He has given everything to the sport since his Test debut in 2003. We all would like to wish him well as he walks out at Lord’s for the last time for England. We are looking forward to getting the season underway against a strong West Indies side in what will be an excellent Test series,” said ECB Managing Director, Rob Key.
England Squad for First Two Tests: Ben Stokes (c), James Anderson, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Dan Lawrence, Dillon Pennington, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Chris Woakes.
England Vs West Indies Test Series Complete Schedule (All Details Are As Per Indian Standard Time )
| S. No. | Fixture | Venue | Date | Time |
| 1 | England Vs West Indies, 1st Test | Lord's Cricket Ground, London | July 10-14 | 03:30 PM |
| 2 | England Vs West Indies, 2nd Test | Trent Bridge, Nottingham | July 18-22 | 03:30 PM |
| 3 | England Vs West Indies, 3rd Test | Edgbaston, Birmingham | July 26-30 | 03:30 PM |