Injuries hitting England attack
ENGLAND’S fast-bowling injury worries increased last night when Stuart Broad’s participation in next month’s first Test against South Africa was thrown into further doubt by a delay on the diagnosis of his latest heel injury.
Broad left the field on Wednesday during Nottinghamshire’s County Championship win against Leicestershire.
He has since had a scan, which showed a small tear in the fat pad of his left heel, but England have yet to disclose whether that means he is out of the series opener against South Africa starting at Lord’s on July 6.
This is a long-standing injury issue for Broad, and England’s delay over announcing his availability for that match does not bode well.
England already have fitness concerns over Chris Woakes, who is likely to miss the first two Tests of the summer with a side strain,
and Ben Stokes, who is managing the knee injury that threatened his participation in the Champions Trophy.
There is at least one piece of good news in the form of James Anderson, who returned from a groin strain by taking three wickets for Lancashire against Hampshire on Wednesday.
Jonny Bairstow, meanwhile, has revealed a philosophical approach has helped him deal with his stop-start limitedovers career with England.
Now established as his country’s Test wicketkeeper, Bairstow has been in and out of the ODI and T20 teams despite a glut of runs when he has been given the opportunity.
Bairstow sat out the start of the Champions Trophy before coming in as an opener for the semi-final defeat against Pakistan last week.
And his hopes of holding onto that ODI spot were enhanced by a brilliant 60 from 35 balls during England’s nine-wicket T20 win against South Africa in Southampton on Wednesday.
He said:“I maintain my form by not worrying about it. That is the biggest thing. You’ve got to deal with the fact you might score runs, but the next game you might not play.
“It is a philosophical way of looking at it even from a Yorkshireman, but it is going alright at the moment.”