DON’T LET ANDERSON BLOW RUIN THE PARTY CHIEF SPORTS WRITER AT EDGBASTON

England must shrug off bowler’s injury and take control of series

At SOME stage today, it appears likely that England will take a 2-1 lead in this Ashes series. So why the long faces? Why the feeling that this may be as good as it gets, the high water mark for English cricket in a very changeable summer?

It centred on an event that occurred after the third ball of Jimmy Anderson’s ninth over during Australia’s second innings. It was the end. Not for England, or Australia, but for Anderson. In this test as a bowler, almost definitely, and for the remainder of the test series if the worst is confirmed. And if it is over for him, the fear is it is over for his team, too.

England without their greatest seamer are much reduced and the players know it. From bullying Australia out of this match, once Anderson went off, nursing an apparent muscle injury in his side, they visibly shrunk.

For the remainder of the day, all the swagger evaporated from Alastair Cook’s men. Australia survived, if only short term. Even if victory is confirmed as expected, the loss of Anderson is a troubling leveller. Anticipation of him maintaining the form of this test at trent Bridge next week was one of the biggest positives for England.

Anderson loves trent Bridge. Anderson on the back of a six-wicket haul and an Ashes victory, even more so.

So what happened to spoil what was a very good day for England? Anderson was bent double in pain after the second ball of the fateful over. He squirmed his way through one more delivery, bravely but perhaps misguidedly. then he started the run-in for the fourth ball, winced, aborted, and turned on his heel back to the dressing room. He threw his jumper in the air in frustration as he went, looked up at the blue sky and let it cover his face.

Spiritually, in that moment, his colleagues seemed to do the same. Anderson’s final contribution of note was to claim the wicket of David Warner — who at the time had accounted for so many of Australia’s runs as a percentage that he was on course to break a record that had stood since 1877 — and it is fair to say things were looking up.

Edgbaston was on course to host England’s first two-day test since the West Indies visited Headingley in 2000, and it was going swiftly in England’s favour.

Yet Australia were 121 for six when Anderson bowled his last and 168 for seven at the close. Meaning here we all are, Friday morning, job still not done. Indeed, Australia are now 23 ahead with three wickets in hand and although that is nothing like a platform for victory, it still has more irritant value than is helpful to English nerves. England were all out for 103 at Lord’s in their second innings. Australia are 80 runs short of that with the tail still left and Peter Nevill doggedly resisting on 37. It would be catastrophic if England lost from here, yet the way this match, indeed this series, has swung, nothing can be taken for granted. And England need to shake themselves awake, too.

they were not the same minus Anderson, and they may have to snap out of that torpor pretty damn quickly. Worst-case scenario is an intercostal muscle injury. Chris Jordan suffered one of those in June and hasn’t played since. If Anderson has incurred significant damage he might not play another test this summer.

the official line from the ECB is that Anderson’s removal was more of a precautionary measure and he continues to be assessed. A ‘ tight side’ is the message. Yet they would say that.

Seeing how England faded without their talisman late in the day it would not do to give Australia further encouragement. Even if they already knew the bad news, England won’t be rushing into announcements. Anderson will be given every chance to recover, or at least afford that impression.

It was about the only break Australia have had since arriving in Birmingham.

those in the media suites who have played with Anderson were quickly speculating that the injury must be serious, simply because he is not one to show pain. Certainly he will not have enjoyed walking off wounded having tormented Australia throughout this test.

On day one, he did so with the ball. Yesterday, he took hostilities a stage further, adopting a fielding position that seemed purely designed to get under Warner’s skin. Silly mid- on would be the closest description; almost beside Warner at the non-striker’s end, in his line if he ran, and no doubt in his ear when he didn’t. He was as close as he could be without standing on the wicket.

It was probably fortunate, then, that he had dismissed Warner 10 runs before injury struck. the sendoff would have been heard from Birmingham’s Bull Ring had Warner been in the middle to wave goodbye to a stricken seamer. Of course, Anderson’s scare aside, it was a quite magnificent day for England. Australia batted poorly — again — England bowled superbly, no-one more so than Steve Finn, who took five wickets.

In this nick, he would compose a formidable opening pair with Stuart Broad and Mark Wood could return as first change, if fit.

If not, England are looking at a battlefield promotion, an outsider such as Liam Plunkett, Mark Footitt or even Jack Brooks of Yorkshire coming into this squad. Midway through an Ashes series that is getting edgier by the day, that is not ideal.

Mitchell Johnson (left) — the only Australian wicket to fall in the hour or so that Anderson was off the field — was already talking up the tourists’ slender chances, giving England a scenario on which to sleep.

‘If we can get to 120 or 130 ahead, we’ll have a really good crack at them,’ he said, and England’s batsmen will remember the startling bouncers that accounted for Jonny Bairstow and Ben Stokes in quick succession yesterday morning.

the stadium announcer did not have time to announce the 300th test wicket of Johnson’s career — Bairstow — before he had seized his 301st. And while he may just be whistling to keep his spirits up, much depends on the attitude England carry into this morning.

they either bring the baggage of Anderson’s tight side into the arena, or they can recall all the good things that have happened throughout this test and build from there.

And there were plenty of them. So why so subdued by the close?