Ashes 2019: James Anderson likely to be fit for the Ashes opener

He picked up a calf injury earlier this month playing county cricket.

James Anderson suffered a calf injury during a county match | Getty File Veteran England paceman James Anderson is likely to be fit for the first Ashes Test of the five-match series against Australia to be played from 1st August in Birmingham.

On Saturday, 20th July, Anderson – who had picked up "a low-grade calf muscle tear" during a County Championship game earlier this month, has given some relief to England selectors, as he is hoping to attain full fitness before the Ashes 2019 opener against Australia.

However, Anderson admitted that he was feeling good but still his participation in a one-off four-day Test against Ireland at Lord's from 24 July would totally depend on his fitness level.

Speaking to BBC, Anderson said on Saturday, 20th July: “We meet up on Monday and at the moment I feel good. I will keep bowling and we will monitor it. If it comes to Wednesday and I'm fit to play then great, but if not, I will work towards being fit for the Ashes.”

Meanwhile, England selector Ed Smith was also confident about Anderson's availability for the Ashes opener. He added, “He's having a bit of a break now he's played a lot of cricket and has been a central protagonist in one of the great stories in sport. He will get every medical attention that we can give to make sure he has every possibility of being fit as soon as possible.”

The veteran paceman was also delighted with the World Cup 2019 triumph but stressed on the need to "re-focus" on the upcoming Ashes 2019 as Australia would be hungry for the urn after semi-final ouster.

Anderson signed off by saying, “It's a really exciting time for English cricket. I think it was an amazing final and the reaction to it has been phenomenal. It's time to re-focus on to Test cricket. We realize the dangers that the Australian team bring to Test cricket, so we're going to have to be fully focused on that. We can't afford to hang on to the World Cup win. It's our job as English cricketers to try and carry that momentum on and hopefully, an Ashes win will do that.”

(With BBC Inputs)

 
 

By Rashmi Nanda - 20 Jul, 2019

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