Ashes 2019: England Leave Out James Anderson for Third Test

England have announced that they will retain the same squad for the third Ashes Test. It is scheduled to commence on Thursday (August 22). Once again, James Anderson failed to find a place in the squad. After the loss in the first Ashes Test, England have bounced back well and the second Test ended in a tie.

However, Lord’s witnessed how Jofra Archer’s bouncer hit Steve Smith on his neck and he fell on the ground. His injury forced him to retire hurt for some time but he returned after 46 minutes. Finally, he fell for 92 runs when Chris Woakes trapped him in front of the stumps.

On the other hand, in spite of performing poorly, Jason Roy has been given a second chance in the squad. Unfortunately, their key player James Anderson is still out for the count. The swing bowler has 575 Test wickets to his name and has been doing well while progressing from an injured right calf. However, he was ruled out of the game due to a similar injury on the very first day of the first Ashes Test.

Since he is not part of the Ashes 2019 squad, James Anderson will play a three-day match for Lancashire second XI against Leicestershire. That match is scheduled to commence on Tuesday (August 20). The bowler will be assessed on a daily basis prior to the fourth Ashes Test at Old Trafford from September 4.

“Anderson is making progress from his injured right calf,” said the ECB in a statement. “[He] will step up his rehabilitation this week by playing for Lancashire second XI against Leicestershire in a three-day friendly at Northern Cricket Club, Liverpool.”

Thought-provokingly, Jason Roy, who has failed to impress with the bat so far, has kept his place in the squad in spite of registering scores of 10, 28, 0 and 2. On the other hand, Jofra Archer, who replaced Jimmy Anderson in the squad, took five wickets on his Test debut at Lord’s.

Full squad:

Joe Root (C), Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Joe Denly, Jack Leach, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes