England
England (Credits: Twitter)

England, on Monday, named an unchanged 12-man squad for the third Ashes Test against Australia starting on Thursday. Senior fast-bowler James Anderson seems to be still not fully fit and will now play  for Lancashire’s second XI to step up his rehabilitation. Anderson is out of action due to a calf injury he suffered on day one of the Ashes-opener.

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England’s all-time leading wicket-taker will play against Leicestershire in a three-day friendly match starting on Tuesday. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said the 37-year-old will be assessed on an ongoing basis and will be considered for selection ahead of the fourth test at Old Trafford starting September 4.

James Anderson
James Anderson (Credits: Twitter)

England will definitely miss the experience of Anderson but Jofra Archer’s stunning debut must have given them hope. The Barbados-born pacer caused all sorts of trouble for Australia with his pace and ended up picking up five wickets. He bowled consistently over 90 mph and hit Steve Smith on his neck with one of his thunderbolts. Smith is now doubtful for the upcoming game.

Talking about the second Test, England missed out on levelling the series by four wickets. Having to bat 48 overs to save the game, Australia were 132-3 in the 36th over. The game was heading towards a tame draw before Australia lost three wickets for 17 runs in the next five. The game was heading towards a thrilling finale but Travis Head and Pat Cummins saw the tourists to 154-6.

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Earlier in the game, Ben Stokes‘ unbeaten 115 helped England to declare on 258-5, setting Australia an unlikely 267 to win. The Aussies were without Smith but somehow managed to earn a draw. Australia thus lead the five-match series 1-0.

England Squad:

Joe Root (captain), Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow (wicketkeeper), Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Joe Denly, Jack Leach, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes