Ashes 2023: Senior England pacer James Anderson shared an update on his latest injury ahead of the one-off Test against Ireland and the Ashes series against Australia. Anderson had left the field with a mild groin strain during Lancashire’s County Championship game last week. The one-off Test against Ireland will be played from June 1 onwards while the Ashes will start from June 16 onwards. Follow Ashes 2023 LIVE Updates on InsideSport.IN.
While there were worries about the injury given that the Ashes was around the corner, the fast bowler was named in the Test squad for the match against Ireland and has now dispelled any concerns around it. “I am not worried about it,” Anderson told the BBC’s Tailenders podcast as quoted by ICC.
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“It is obviously not great getting injured but it is probably the best outcome for what it is, because it is a low-grade thing and I think in a couple of weeks I will be back to full fitness. It is frustrating because you always want to feel good and get enough bowling in before a series and you want to be fresh, so it is now about trying to plan the best route through this summer,” added the pace veteran.
The 40-year-old, however, stated that it was not ideal given that he needed some game time behind him ahead of the big summer. The Ireland Test begins early June, but although Anderson is in the squad, he does not want to rush things with the Ashes coming right after it.
“I felt like I needed to play this game so it’s not ideal, but I am not stressed about it. I am just taking it day by day and seeing how it goes because obviously, I do not want to risk anything by making it worse. I am more confident I can get this one right [than in 2019] and give the Ashes a right good crack,” concluded Anderson.
England have announced their squad for a one-off test against Ireland which will be played from June 1 at the Lord’s in England. Ben Stokes will lead the 15-man squad with right-hand batter Ollie Pope named as the vice-captain.
England’s squad has gained strength with the return of wicketkeeper-batter Jonny Bairstow, who was out of action since August last year after a golf accident left him with a broken left leg and dislocated ankle. With Bairstow back in the side, Ben Foakes has been left out of the squad. Jofra Archer will be another notable absentee after being ruled out for the remaining summer with a recurring stress fracture to his right elbow.
Making a return are fast bowlers Mark Wood and Chris Woakes, the latter coming back to the Test squad for the first time since March 2022. If selected in playing 11, it will be his first Test on home soil in the last two years.
It will only be the second Test between the two nations and will be a four-day affair. Interestingly, the first one, played in 2019 was also a four-day affair, which England won by 143 runs.
With the home Ashes against Australia beginning on June 16, England will be looking forward to getting some game time before facing their arch-rivals.
Squad: Ben Stokes (c), James Anderson, Jonathan Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood.
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