James Anderson Ruled Out Of Fifth Test Match
Dec 15, 2016 at 1:42 PM
England fast bowling spearhead James Anderson has been ruled out of the fifth and the final Test match against India to be played in Chennai. England skipper Alastair Cook himself confirmed the news in the pre-match press conference, “It is a bit of everything, ankle and shoulder. A bit of bowling soreness. We are trying to look after him,” said England captain Alastair Cook.
Having already lost the series, it is learnt that it is a precautionary move by England team management to save him for the future.
Anderson has played three Test matches in the series so far in which he has just been able to scalp four wickets. Though Anderson’s performance has been on a lower note in this series but still it’s a big blow for England as they now do not have an experience fast bowler to guide the players on the field. Stuart Broad is yet to recover and a decision on his inclusion will be taken in the evening.
If he is not fit for the game, then Steve Finn might replace James Anderson in the playing XI or there is a very slight chance of Gareth Batty also making a comeback in the team due to the tendency of the Chennai pitch to assist the spinners on all five days of the game.
James Anderson was in the spotlight during the final day of the fourth Test match after he gave childish comments on Virat Kohli’s batting.
He said that Virat Kohli has flaws in his batting and these type of conditions hides his flaws.
He was criticised by his former skipper Michael Vaughan who termed his comments as naive. Few other cricketers also criticised Anderson for his comments.
The final Test of the five-Test series starts tomorrow i.e. December 16 in Chennai. Indian team has already gained an unassailable lead of 3-0 and will look to win the game, further alleviating woes of England team.