James Anderson, England”s leading wicket-taker in Tests, has been ruled out of the 2nd Ashes Test match against Australia. Lord”s will host the upcoming fixture on August 14. The veteran pacer bowled just 4 overs in Edgbaston before limping off the field.
England were handed a 251-run loss as Steve Smith”s twin hundreds and spinner Nathan Lyon”s brilliant spell turned the game in the visitors” favor. An MRI scan confirmed Anderson”s injury and he will undergo rehabilitation. He had earlier torn the same muscle while playing for his County side Lancashire in early July.
Anderson sustains calf-injury
He sat out for the one-off Test match against Ireland but made a comeback in the 1st Ashes Test. England had put Australia on the mat. Tim Paine”s side were on 122/8 at one stage before Smith and Peter Siddle anchored the innings. A 144 in the first innings was followed by a 142 in the second innings as Smith bagged the man of the match award on his return.
James Anderson undergoes a fitness test on his injured calf ©Getty Images
England were a bowler short as Stuart Broad and Chris Woakes had their task cut-out. The likes of Ben Stokes and Moeen Ali tried to cover-up the sudden setback but it wasn”t enough. Former England captain Michael Vaughan went on record to say that he doesn”t see Anderson feature in the next two Tests.
Clouds over Anderson”s participation
“I can’t see him playing too much of a role in this series,” he said on BBC 5 Live’s Tuffers and Vaughan Show.
“I can’t see how they’ll allow him to come back without playing at least a couple of games first. You’re looking at if everything goes rosy, Old Trafford, but that would probably be a risk.” Vaughan added.
Anderson was a bit “distraught” at not being able to help the bowling pack in a crunch situation. Australia set the hosts a target of 398. Joe Root”s men were bundled out for mere 146 in the fourth innings. Pacer Jofra Archer is likely to make his Ashes debut at the home of cricket in a week”s time. The Three Lions would look to equalize the scoreline before going onto the final three Tests.
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