Silverwood urges 'inspiration' Anderson to end England's Test summer in style
Chris Silverwood urged England’s Test cricketers to sign off from their epic summer in the bubble with a final-day victory against Pakistan that rewards their efforts and, in an ideal world, gets Jimmy Anderson past 600 wickets.
England’s winter plans remain uncertain because of the Covid-19 pandemic and it may not be until January, when there are proposed series against Sri Lanka and India, that they are back in whites. Anderson, sitting on 599 career wickets, will not want to wait to become the first seam bowler to pass the milestone.
Of greater importance to England’s head coach, however, is completing a 2-0 series win and, after declaring his satisfaction at a day during which just two wickets fell – as the ball went soft, the pitch fell docile and Pakistan’s batsmen dug in – the call was for one final push.
Silverwood said: “I’m very proud of how the players have handled themselves, being locked up for the best part of 10 weeks in the bubble. Their attitude and effort during that time has been fantastic.
“To finish strong and see Jimmy get his 600th would be fantastic. He’s an inspiration, isn’t he? To have one of the best in the world sat in your dressing room, playing for your country is absolutely amazing. He’s constantly helping the other bowlers and it would be brilliant to see him get over the line.
“But I want to win the game – that’s my first and foremost. Weather permitting, let’s give it a good go.”
Silverwood insisted the 56 overs of toil on a rain-affected fourth day were “good practice” for overseas assignments when the ball does not move off the straight and he was pleased to see Jofra Archer strive for the speeds asked of him before the match even though the 25-year-old remains wicketless thus far.
“I think we’ve seen pace from him this time,” the former Yorkshire and England bowler said. “We talked through his role and we’ve seen what we asked him to do: 90mph and good skill. We all know there is a world-class bowler there.”
Ollie Pope, meanwhile, will not take the field on the final day of England’s Test summer and is due to undergo a scan after sustaining an injury to his left shoulder as he slid to prevent a boundary just two overs into the fourth morning.
The 22-year-old Surrey batsman, who appeared in considerable discomfort following the tumble and did not reappear, dislocated the same shoulder while playing for his county last summer – a problem that required surgery and led to him missing three months of cricket.