Anderson returns for England

Monday, 13 June 2011 00:01 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

England have recalled James Anderson to their squad for the third and final power Test against Sri Lanka at the Rose Bowl.

Anderson missed last week’s second Test at Lord’s after suffering a side strain in the series opener in Cardiff but he has made good progress and will replace uncapped Surrey seamer Jade Dernbach.

Anderson will be given the chance to show he is match ready when Lancashire play Worcestershire in the Friends Life t20 on Sunday afternoon. If he comes through that game with no ill effects, Anderson will be a certainty to return to the side, who lead the series 1-0 after their dramatic victory on the final afternoon of the first Test.

He is not only the most experienced of England’s seam options but also the one most likely to take advantage of the new ball with full, swinging deliveries.

“Jimmy Anderson is the leader of our bowling attack so clearly he will be a significant inclusion should he get through Lancashire’s Friends Life Twenty20 match against Worcestershire unscathed,” National selector Geoff Miller said.

“Side strains can be particularly troublesome for bowlers but given Jimmy’s injury was a grade one strain and therefore a low grade injury, he is expected to be fit for selection. A period of rest and recovery has certainly been beneficial and we obviously wouldn’t include Jimmy in the squad if the medical staff weren’t confident of his fitness.”

At Lord’s, England much-vaunted trio of tall seamers failed to challenge the Sri Lanka batsmen regularly enough and one of Stuart Broad, Chris Tremlett and Steven Finn would be expected to give way for Anderson when the side is named on Thursday morning.

Tremlett has been the most consistently threatening England bowler in the series and is sure to be retained and although Broad perhaps has the biggest case to answer, with six wickets at 48 in four innings to date and question marks over his use of the new ball, Finn is most likely to stand down.

As in the Ashes, he frustrated at HQ with an erratic line and length but showed once again his crucial knack of taking wickets with four first-innings victims.

England’s batsmen have given the selectors a less strenuous workout this week, with Kevin Pietersen’s second-innings 72 enough to calm the whispers over his form and Eoin Morgan justifying his place at number six with an enterprising 79.