Anderson and Broad back to lead England into new era

'The more things change, the more they stay the same'.

Despite how endless their Test careers may seem, it's unlikely James Anderson and Stuart Broad were the target when that phrase was first coined in the 19th century, but they may as well have been.

England start the 2022 summer with a new managing director of men's cricket, a new white-ball head coach, a new leader of the Test team and a new captain for the longest format too, but conspicuous among Ben Stokes' charges for the first Test against New Zealand at Lord's on Thursday are Anderson and Broad, spearheading - yet again - an England Test attack on home soil.

Anderson turns 40 this summer, with Broad celebrating his 36th in the next month, giving rise to talk over the last few years of 'load management', 'squad rotation' and 'succession planning' - coincidentally, the point at which England's red-ball thinking has become muddled and their results increasingly disappointing.

In the litany of fast-bowling greats, Anderson and Broad are quite literally England's best ever, Anderson's record 640 wickets placing him third all-time in the history of Test cricket (first among fast bowlers) and Broad's 537 good enough for sixth spot on the same list.

Yet, it was only a matter of months ago both had legitimate cause for concern over their international futures, left to contemplate their cricketing mortality as they were axed from England's touring squad for the West Indies in March.

Anderson spoke of his "frustration", "anger" and "shock" at the time, telling the BBC's Tailenders podcast: "I'm praying this isn't the end." Broad, similarly, wrote in a Daily Mail column, that the decision had affected his sleep and he was waking up "more confused and angrier with each