England skipper Joe Root on Wednesday (August 12) came out in support of struggling James Anderson, saying the veteran pacer’s place in the team was not in question ahead of the second test against Pakistan, starting Thursday (August 13) at the Ageas Bowl.

Anderson, England’s most successful Test bowler with 590 scalps, has had a frustrating summer, claiming only six wickets in his last three Tests.

In fact, speculations of his retirement were doing the rounds before the 38-year-old rubbished the reports stating that he will carry on playing till his body permits.

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Addressing a news conference on the eve of second Tests, Root said Anderson would get an immediate chance to put things right.

“To question Jimmy’s ability, his record... do that at your own peril,” the England captain remarked.

“There’s a reason he’s got so many wickets over such a long period — he’s a consistent performer. I don’t think it’ll be long until he’s back among the wickets big time.

“It’ll be very silly for us to write someone like Jimmy off. He’s still as dedicated as ever, working hard at his game and looking good in practice.”

Anderson was also rested for the second Test against West Indies last month but he did feature in the final Test of the series and the first Test against Pakistan. He looked a bit frustrated during England's three-wicket victory over Pakistan in Manchester as he picked up only one wicket across the two innings.

Root also revealed that Anderson had spoken to him about his form during the first Test of the ongoing series.

“We had an honest conversation... to get that off his chest and to talk about it has helped him. It shows even the greats of the game still have those days when it doesn’t always come as naturally to you... it can be a real struggle sometimes,” he said.

“It’s easy to look at the statistics and not have a more broad view on how things are actually going.”

(Inputs from Reuters)