"He might have a lot more left in the tank" - Chris Woakes on James Anderson

England seamer Chris Woakes doesn't believe James Anderson is done in international cricket yet and that he has plenty left in the tank. The 34-year-old reckons England have been hugely fortunate to have a force like Anderson play for them for 20 years.

The 40-year-old hasn't been at his best in the ongoing Ashes series, as he has taken only 3 scalps in the first 2 Tests. Hence, he was dropped for the 3rd match at Headingley, with England going with Woakes in their line-up.

Speaking to Mirror Sport, Woakes stated that Anderson always proved his detractors wrong and also refused to make any assumptions about how long will the medium pacer play.

"We are lucky to have had Jimmy for so long, and who knows how much longer we'll be able to call on him? I have a gut feeling that he might have a lot more left in the tank because Jimmy always proves the doubters wrong," Woakes said.

"He may want to go past 700 Test wickets, but whenever the time comes for him to call it a day – and I'm not making any assumptions that this will be his last game or his last series – we have been blessed that he's been such a master of his craft for 20 years," he added.

The hosts have retained the veteran seamer for the 4th Test at Old Trafford, which happens to be Anderson's home ground. However, the Lancashire bowler asserted that he will be satisfied even if he fails to get a recall.

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"One of the greatest ever to grace Test cricket" - Chris Woakes on James Anderson

Chris Woakes. (Image Credits: Getty)

Woakes further claimed that Anderson had the backing of the whole of the England team, given his technique. The Warwickshire seamer opined:

"In my book he's not just England's greatest-ever bowler but one of the greatest ever to grace Test cricket," Chris Woakes said. "The paying public and fans watching on TV are in awe of his technique when they watch the super-slow motion replays of how the ball comes out of his hand... but so are we in the dressing room, and we're his peers. I always feel you are in the presence of greatness when fellow professionals are in awe of what you do."

England pulled one back at Headingley to make the scoreline 2-1. However, Ben Stokes and Co. need to win the next two to retain the urn.