James Anderson ruled out of Ashes, Steve Smith bats for first time since concussion

  • 8/31/2019
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Craig Overton has been added to England"s squad as another seam option Smith took to the crease in the three-day tour game at Derby on Friday LONDON: England pace bowler James Anderson will miss the final two Tests of the Ashes series after his calf injury flared up again. Anderson, England"s record wicket-taker in Tests, was kept out of the second and third matches of the series against Australia after tearing a calf muscle in the first Test at Edgbaston. In attempting to prove his fitness for the fourth Test starting in Manchester on Wednesday, Anderson played for Lancashire"s reserve team in a four-day friendly match this week but had to pull out midway through. England said Anderson "became aware of right calf pain" and is now unavailable for the remaining Ashes Tests. Craig Overton has been added to England"s squad as another seam option. England and Australia are tied 1-1 with two tests left in the Ashes. Meanwhile, Australia star Steve Smith was out for just 23 in his first innings since being felled by England fast bowler Jofra Archer and suffering concussion in the second Ashes Test. Smith took to the crease in the three-day tour game at Derby on Friday, coming in with Australia 179-2 in reply to Derbyshire"s first innings 172. He played his opening ball from Hamidullah Qadri defensively and later slogged the off-spinner for four. But his 38-ball knock came to an end when he sliced a drive off Matt Critchley, a leg-spinner whose previous 59 first-class wickets had come at an expensive average of 51.86, and Qadri, running in from the cover boundary, held a well-judged catch. Australia were then 237-3 in the 70th over. Smith, who was in the middle for 47 minutes, faced 38 balls and struck two fours. But the only five balls he faced that weren"t from a slow bowler came from medium-pacer Anuj Dal. Smith kept his pads on after walking back into the pavilion and soon afterwards headed into the nets in the company of Australia opener David Warner, not playing against Derbyshire. This was former Australia captain Smith"s first match since being hit on his unprotected neck by a 92 mph bouncer from Archer during the drawn second Test at Lord"s.

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