James Anderson A Doubtful Starter For The Third Test Against South Africa
Updated - 08 Jan 2020, 07:59 PM
Yet again England Cricket Team sweats over the fitness of a player. After losing in-form batsman Rory Burns, the Joe Root-led side might miss the services of their Ace bowler James Anderson. He suffered a side strain on Day 5 of the second Test, which England won in the final session of the Test match at Cape Town.
Anderson struck early on day 5 to remove Keshav Maharaj and took the new ball immediately before lunch. But he did not bowl in the afternoon session, spending much of it off the field. He returned to bowl two overs at the beginning of the evening session, but looked in discomfort throughout and was quickly removed from the attack.
James Anderson is a great bowler – Chris Silverwood
Coach Chris Silverwood has admitted he is worried Anderson could now miss some or all of the rest of the series. After staying away from the team for a while, James Anderson finally recovered to play the series against South Africa. However, the latest injury is certainly not a piece of great news for the veteran fast bowler or team management.
“It’s his side, but it could be just a little niggle,” confirmed Joe Root. “He’ll go for a scan, get some treatment, and we’ll see how he pulls up going into PE. We’ll wait and see.”
“We’ll assess him in the morning and take it from there,” head coach Chris Silverwood told BBC Sport. “We’ve got to make sure he’s all right now. When somebody of Jimmy’s quality is potentially going to be missing, it is always going to be a concern for the coach – and concern for the team – because we want him in there. He showed in the first innings that he is a great bowler.”
While there are few doubts about Anderson’s ability – he took 5 for 40 in the first innings and showed how to use reverse swing in the Test match. The third Test of the four-match series starts on 16 January in Port Elizabeth. It remains to be seen whether he will be fit for the third Test or not.
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