JAB SCARE FOR WOAKES

TWO members of England’s bowling artillery are being patched up ahead of tilts at Ashes and World Cup glory this year. Jimmy Anderson requires a cortisone injection in his left ankle while Chris Woakes is to have injections of his own blood in a bid to combat a chronic knee problem. Anderson was in pain throughout the final-Test victory over West Indies in St Lucia three weeks ago following a recurrence of an old issue. Although the news about the 36-year-old will be of concern five months before the Ashes, he needed a jab in the same ankle — as well as his shoulder — to get through the 2018 season and did so in supreme style. The tendonitis in all-rounder Woakes’s right knee flared up again on the tour of the Caribbean. Test specialist Anderson is available for the first 10 of Lancashire’s Championship fixtures but it is likely England will want his schedule managed carefully.