Ashes: England rest veteran pacer James Anderson for the Brisbane Test starting Wednesday

This
clarification
came
hours
after
several
media
reports
stated
Anderson
was
ruled
out
of
the
first
Test
due
to
a
calf
strain.

“Jimmy
is
fit
to
play,
and
is
not
carrying
an
injury.
With
five
Tests
in
six
weeks
the
plan
was
to
get
him
ready
for
the
second
Test
in
Adelaide.

“With
the
limited
build-up
we
have
had
so
far
on
the
tour,
both
him
and
the
management
didn’t
want
to
take
the
risk
of
him
playing
after
what
had
happened
in
2019
at
Edgbaston,
when
he
broke
down
on
the
first
morning,”
stated
an
ECB
statement.

“He
bowled
at
full
capacity
yesterday
for
just
short
of
an
hour
and
was
in
a
good
place
physically.
He
will
do
the
same
again
today
at
practice.

“He
will
stay
with
the
Test
group
this
week
and
work
with
the
coaches
at
the
Gabba
rather
than
playing
for
the
Lions,”
it
added.

Cricket
Australia
(CA)
on
Monday
(December
6)
had
confirmed
that
the
fifth
men’s
Ashes
Test
match
will
be
relocated
from
Perth
Stadium
due
to
COVID-19
pandemic-related
restrictions.

CA
and
Western
Australian
Cricket
(WA
Cricket)
have
worked
closely
and
constructively
with
the
Western
Australia
Government
and
Perth
Stadium
over
several
months,
with
the
shared
goals
of
prioritizing
the
health
and
well-being
of
the
WA
community,
while
providing
the
best
possible
environment
for
the
players,
their
families,
match
officials,
staff
and
broadcast
partners.

Discussions
about
a
replacement
venue
for
the
fifth
Test
match
are
underway.

Anderson
injured?

As
per
a
report
in
Sydney
Morning
Herald,
Anderson
has
been
ruled
out
due
to
a
calf
strain
and
this
is
the
same
problem
that
had
ruined
his
2019
campaign.

England
management
has
decided
to
rest
Anderson
for
the
first
Test
to
ensure
that
he
is
raring
to
go
for
the
pink-ball
second
Test
slated
to
be
played
in
Adelaide.

England
eye
Gabba
conquest

Anderson
and
Stuart
Broad
were
the
only
members
of
the
England
squad
who
were
born
when
the
tourists
last
won
an
Ashes
Test
at
the
Gabba.

The
hostile
iconic
Brisbane
venue
has
been
such
a
fortress
for
Australia
that
you
have
to
go
back
to
November
1986
for
their
previous
Test
defeat
to
England
at
the
ground
where
the
2021-22
series
starts
on
Wednesday
(December
8).

Yet
India
consigned
Australia
to
a
first
Gabba
loss
in
the
longest
format
for
over
32
years
in
January
and
England
captain
Joe
Root
is
backing
his
side
to
end
the
hoodoo,
despite
a
lack
of
match
practice
due
to
rain.

The
world’s
number
one
Test
batter
said:
“[Victory]
would
absolutely
set
us
up
for
the
rest
of
the
series
and
it’s
a
great
opportunity.

“This
group
of
players,
not
that
long
ago,
went
to
Cape
Town
where
we’ve
not
won
a
Test
for
a
long
period
of
time
and
off
the
back
of
a
performance
there
won
the
series.

“I
feel
like
we
have
been
able
to
do
that
around
the
world
and
this
is
an
opportunity
to
do
that
here.
Obviously
conditions
are
slightly
different
to
home,
at
this
venue
in
particular
with
that
extra
bit
of
bounce,
but
we
have
prepared
as
well
as
we
can
for
that.
If
we
manage
that
well
we
should
give
a
really
good
account
of
ourselves
and
start
well.”