England's new captain, Ben Stokes, has stated that speed bowlers James Anderson and Stuart Broad will return to the Test squad soon for the three-match series against New Zealand, which begins on June 2 at Lord's.
Anderson and Broad were left out of England's tour of the West Indies earlier this year, with selectors preferring to give the next generation of speed bowlers more opportunities. During the series, England lost 1-0 to the West Indies, and top hitter Joe Root stepped down as captain immediately after the squad came home.
Since then, England has named Rob Key as their new managing director and Stokes as their Test captain, making the short-term futures of their two leading wicket-takers look brighter ahead of a demanding summer schedule.
For the first time since being named captain on Tuesday, Stokes stated that he wants to restore England's winning mentality and that he intends to have Anderson and Broad by his side this summer.
"I want to win games of cricket for England. The best way to do that is picking your best XI and in my opinion if Stuart Broad and James Anderson are fit they are available for selection," ICC quoted Stokes as saying.
"I want selfless cricketers who make decisions based on winning the game of cricket for England. At the end of the day the most important thing is winning. I want to be part of a team that has that real mentality, that doesn't take a backwards step," Stokes added.