James Anderson is all set to regain full fitness in time for the second Test against Pakistan, according to Alastair Cook, the England captain.
Anderson, the top-ranked bowler in Tests, hasn’t been selected for the series opener in Lord’s after sustaining a shoulder blade injury.
The 33-year-old seamer, who declared himself available for selection on the eve of the squad announcement, even bowled during the team’s practice sessions to impress the selectors but the team management was against risking an aggravation to his injury.
Captain Cook claimed the selectors didn’t include Anderson in the final squad considering the flat bowling surface at Lord’s. “Anderson was fairly confident (of playing),”
Cook said on Wednesday (July 13). “Of course, there is always a temptation to take that gamble with a bowler who has taken 450 Test wickets. But he’s not quite at full pace and there is a risk of going into a five-day Test match with that injury – an injury that not many people have had – so the selectors have decided it’s too much of a risk to go for it.
“They’re concerned that if he has one of those stints at Lord’s, he could be bowling 30-odd overs in an innings and we’re not quite sure how his shoulder will stand up to that. The medical people are asked their opinion and I imagine they will err on the safety side. If they make the other call and it blows up, there are repercussions. When you are responsible for making decisions on players’ welfare, it must be really tough. You do not want to be responsible for it. There are other games. He should be fit for Old Trafford. He does understand the situation.”
England also received another injury boost with all-rounder Ben Stokes getting the green signal to play the County Championship match against Lancashire starting on Saturday (July 16) after making a full recovery from a knee injury sustained in May.
Cook even admitted that the team management initially had decided to draft him into the squad for the first Test as a specialist batsman but Stokes was not sure whether his knee would last the five-day rigours of Test cricket at this moment, having recently going through a major surgery. Like Anderson, he will be in line for a return for Old Trafford Test.
“Ben needed another week or so in terms of being confident in his knee when bowling and batting,” Cook said. “He didn’t feel that confident on his knee yet and you get that from playing. He’s had an operation on it so it was quite a major thing. He plays a four-day game for Durham and will bowl.”
The second England-Pakistan Test begins on June 22, four days after the completion of the Lords match.