‘DEADLY DUO HAVE URNED SOME RELIEF’

WRAP up Stuart Broad and Jimmy Anderson in cotton wool – or risk another Ashes hiding.

That’s the message from 2005 Ashes legend Simon Jones (below) on the eve of the India Test series.

England’s golden new-ball pair boast 957 Test wickets between them.

It’s possible they will pass the 1,000 mark by the end of the summer.

No other current England bowler is anywhere near their numbers – showing just how tough it’s going to be to one day replace Broad, 32, and Anderson, who will turn 36 next month.

But Jones believes the understudies must step up now to take some of the pressure off England’s star men – and spare Broad and Anderson another 12 months of heavy lifting.

Jones said: “We really have to look after Jimmy and Stuart in the lead up to the Ashes next summer.

“I just hope the other bowlers that do play in the Test series against India can stand up and be counted – and we don’t get a situation where Stuart and Jimmy are bowling all those overs again.

“We need them fresh to make a real impact. What we don’t want them thinking is that they’ve got to bowl long spells, so they try to conserve energy.

“They’re both very skilful but if they’re thinking about having to bowl a lot of overs then that’s a tough one to take.”

Injuries have hampered the progress of back-up bowlers Chris Woakes and Mark Wood in recent seasons.

Both men currently average well over 30 with the ball in Test cricket and neither has been able to nail down a place in England’s bowling attack, despite numerous chances.

Broad and Anderson sent down 418 overs between them in the Ashes last winter – a workload that placed them under huge pressure in a dismal 4-0 series defeat.

There’s a danger of both having to shoulder the same kind of burden again against India’s starstudded batting line-up now.

Jones said: “We need everyone fit and firing. We also need to prepare wickets that suit us.

“We have been guilty in the past of preparing wickets that are fair game for the opposition.

“When you go abroad you play on wickets that suit the type of cricket that country plays.

“Bowling against this India team is one of the biggest tests in international cricket – and we do need to have a few things in our favour”