Tough winter set to restrict Anderson and England

JAMES ANDERSON has given the strongest hint yet that his workload will need to be managed during England’s heavy Test schedule this winter.

England play two Tests in Bangladesh before facing India in another five before Christmas. And Anderson, 34, admits it will be a “huge ask” for him to get through both series playing all seven matches.

He said: “It’s a tough one because as a player if you’re fit you want to play, simple as that, no matter what the format, you’re desperate to play.

“We’re in constant discussion with the captain, coach and medical staff about the best scenario. We’ve got good backroom staff who are very switched on and it will be managed well.

“You take it game by game. You can’t say now, ‘I’ll miss the second Test of five’, because you might bowl 15 overs in the first game. So you’ll be a bit sensible and there will probably come a point where we try to look and maybe I’ve got to sit out. We’re fortunate now, with Stokesy [Ben Stokes] and Mo [Moeen Ali], it looks after the seamers.

“That’s a real bonus for us because it has been difficult in India when we’ve had just two seamers and two spinners. But there’s a danger to go over there and expect spinners to take the wickets. There are still opportunities as a seamer, the ball swings out there and reverse swings later in the innings. You have to look at the positives and think how you can make an impact.”