Fears over Anderson mystery

IT WAS bad enough for England to lose Alastair Cook and James Vince towards the end of the third day of this Test — but there were perhaps even greater implications for the tourists in the condition of two other pivotal players.

There were concerns yesterday about the fitness of Jimmy Anderson, while another key man in Moeen Ali looks to have damaged his spinning finger after suffering a cut from the seam of the Kookaburra ball.

England insisted there was nothing wrong with Anderson after he bowled only three overs with the second new ball yesterday, even though Australia were in trouble at 209 for seven.

Yet the pressure on Australia was eased when Anderson failed to resume the attack after lunch and the leader of England’s attack was to bowl just four overs in the afternoon session.

A spokesman insisted Anderson was fine and had bowled 29 overs in hot and testing conditions which led to England captain Joe Root rotating his attack.

But Graeme Swann, a friend and former team-mate of Anderson, said: ‘It doesn’t look good to me. I think he is injured. I hope he’s not, obviously from an England point of view, but just the way he’s holding his side tentatively...

‘I hope it’s a knock that he got when batting and it’s just got tired at the end of the day. But it just doesn’t quite look right to me.

‘He is tough as old boots, though, so if it’s not a serious injury then he will still be firing for England.’