Root confident Anderson is ready to recapture form and get back in the wickets
England captain Joe Root has backed James Anderson to lead the bowling attack in the second Test against Pakistan, insisting the country’s record wicket-taker is ready to reaffirm his class.
Anderson, 38, admitted he dropped short of his own high standards during last week’s victory on his home ground in Manchester but scotched suggestions that he was considering his future. Instead, he asked for the chance to put things right in the style that has earned him 590 wickets, more than any other seamer in the history of the game.
Root has no shortage of options among his pace bowling ranks – with exactly half of the 14-man squad for this week’s clash at the Ageas Bowl fitting the description following the addition of the uncapped Ollie Robinson – but only one was given the nod on the eve of the match.
“Jimmy is likely to play. Wouldn’t you give him the opportunity with almost 600 Test wickets under his belt?” Root asked rhetorically.
“We know it won’t be long before he’s back at the top and at the peak of his powers and I’m very much looking forward to seeing him perform this week.
“I think to question Jimmy’s ability and his record, you do that at your peril.
“There’s a reason he’s got so many wickets over such a long period of time. It’s because he’s a consistent performer and I don’t think it will be long before he’s back in the wickets big time.”
Who joins Anderson in the home XI is a trickier proposition. Stuart Broad and Chris Woakes are in stellar form but selecting both here would mean playing four consecutive Tests in just a month, a major ask for anyone in the pace bowling business.
Sam Curran and Mark Wood are awaiting the nod after playing just once this summer – Curran’s case boosted by his batting ability in the absence of Ben Stokes.
Wood could be in contention to replace Jofra Archer if the latter is rotated out of the side having failed to regularly find his best form over the last few weeks.
Meanwhile, Pakistan allrounder Mohammad Hafeez was placed in isolation on the eve of the second Test after breaching social distancing guidelines by posing for a photograph with an nonagenarian golfer.
Hafeez smiled for a snap with a woman who he identified as “90+ and living her life healthy” after the pair met during a round at the golf course which adjoins the Ageas Bowl.
Hafeez is not part of the redball squad, and has instead travelled as part of the limited-overs group playing matches later this month, but his actions still represent a breach of strict rules governing the ‘bio-secure bubble’.
The Pakistan Cricket Board has tested Hafeez for Covid-19 and will allow him to rejoin the group if he is negative.