TUESDAY 6 AUGUST 2019

Root insists Anderson was fit to

face ‘brilliant’ Aussies

The England bowler labours with a nagging calf injury (Getty)

JACK WATSON

Joe Root revealed Jimmy Anderson passed all of England’s fitness tests before getting injured early in the
first session of the first Test in their crushing 251-run defeat against Australia.

England were a bowler short and twice struggled to get Steve Smith out, who became the fifth person to
score an Ashes century in the first and second innings, clearly missing their all-time leading Test wicket
taker throughout.

Anderson picked up a calf injury while playing county cricket ahead of the series so did not feature in the
warm-up match against Ireland and as a result only managed to bowl four overs.

Sport /Cricket