Anderson fit and ready for final Test despite rain ruining return

The game with Worcestershire at New Road was abandoned at 2.30pm by umpires Jeff Evans and David Millns without a ball being bowled after a steady downpour which had set in at dawn.

Recalled to the England squad earlier in the day for the third Test against Sri Lanka, 28-year-old Anderson was hoping to confirm his recovery from a side strain by bowling four overs for the Red Rose.

He had been assured of his place providing he came through unscathed but in the event his only pain was financial as he was restricted to the card table throughout.

“I’ve come through relatively unscathed – I lost a bit of cash!” he joked.

“Getting my four overs of action would have helped that bit more, but unfortunately it’s not to be.

“I’d quite like to get the overs under my belt because a match situation’s very different to bowling in the nets. Unfortunately, it’s not going to happen but I feel fine and, hopefully, I’ll be fit for Thursday’s Test.

“It was a very minor strain. I think it was more precautionary and if I’d carried on bowling in the Cardiff game it could have got a lot worse.”

He replaces Surrey’s Jade Dernbach in the squad and his return will add variety to an attack which lacked penetration in the second Test at Lord’s, with towering trio Chris Tremlett, Stuart Broad and Steven Finn struggling to make an impact.

“Hopefully, there’ll be a bit more in the pitch at Southampton. It looked like a tough five days for the lads there,” said Anderson, who looks set to replace either Finn or Broad as Test cricket comes to Hampshire for the first time.

“You never know what you’re going to get with the pitch, and they’ve never had a Test before so it’ll be interesting what we get there.

“We didn’t bowl as well as we’d have liked over the last five days, but certainly over the last couple of years we’ve been fantastic with the ball so it’s just about getting back to what’s made us so successful in the last couple of years.”

National selector Geoff Miller welcomed Anderson’s return, stating: “He bowled extremely well at Cardiff and is a fine, top-class bowler. You always miss quality bowlers.

“But it is not just about one individual – it’s about a squad of bowlers and people coming into the side for injuries.

“When you start being a successful international side you do have to make these difficult decisions so we’ll wait and see what conditions are like down in Southampton and make the decision accordingly.

“That is what we are all about – strength in depth.”

Miller acknowledged Anderson offered different options to the England attack.

“Jimmy (can make it) pitch up and swing,” he said. “The others are tall, bouncing bowlers and you are always looking for options because conditions alter and change and sometimes you need that difference.

“Jimmy is an extremely good exponent of that art.”

Miller also expressed his faith in batsman Kevin Pietersen, who has had a fallow time of late before scoring a second-innings 72 at Lord’s.

He said: “Kevin Pietersen is a top-quality player – we know that. He has had a tough time. He’s had a bad run.

“He knows he can score runs internationally and has again just proved that.

“He’s a very good player.”

Sri Lanka’s hopes of a final worthwhile workout ahead of the third and final Test at the Rose Bowl were washed away by the weather when rain allowed little more than 12 overs play at Chelmsford on the third and final day against Essex.

Only an hour’s play was possible before lunch when rain delayed the start and as the players left the field at the interval, the elements closed in once more. This time the delay proved terminal and proceedings were called off at 3pm with the match drawn.

In the little play that did occur, the tourists lost two further wickets to finish on 38 for three. Tharanga Paranavitana was trapped lbw by Maurice Chambers without addition to his overnight single before Reece Topley had Dinesh Chandimal superbly caught by Ryan ten Doeschate at third slip, also for one, after chasing a wider delivery.

That left the visitors 10 for three and still needing four runs to make Essex bat again.

The necessary runs came from Kumar Sangakkara, who was 19 not out whilst Thilan Samaraweera was 11 not out.

With the wicket of Chandimal, Essex youngster Topley took his match figures to six for 34 from 21.4 overs and the 17-year-old, who is still at school, has now taken 28 wickets in six matches, including five wickets in an innings on two occasions.

Chris Silverwood, his bowling coach at Essex, is naturally delighted with the youngster’s development.

“He has bags of talent and we are delighted with his progress,” said the former England, Yorkshire and Middlesex bowler. “He has a big heart, is quick to take on advice and works hard at his game. It’s very encouraging to see the level of progress he has made so far and he’s made a very encouraging start to his career, but he knows there is a lot of hard work ahead of him yet.”

Sri Lanka captain Tillakaratne Dilshan remains a major doubt for the Rose Bowl after fracturing his thumb in the second Test at Lord’s.

“There is no change at this stage,” said interim coach Stuart Law. “His thumb is still in a splint, he is also in some discomfort at this stage and the medical team have said that he is highly likely to miss the Test.

“So the game against Essex has proved very useful because it’s allowed a couple of our batsmen to get amongst the runs.

“Young Lahiru Thirimanne, who is only 21, batted well in our first innings and hit 104 before we retired him out, which was a good indication that he was hitting the ball as good as he could.

“It was also great for Sangakkara to get out there and score 153 runs in the first innings and that will do his confidence no end of good.”

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