DURBAN — England paceman James Anderson has been ruled out of the first Test against South Africa with a calf strain, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced Thursday.
“@jimmy9 ruled out of the first Test vs @OfficialCSA with a calf strain. He’ll be assessed for 2nd Test,” the ECB wrote on its official Twitter account.
Anderson, England’s leading Test wicket-taker, underwent a scan on his right calf muscle Tuesday and will not be risked for the first Test, which begins on Boxing Day.
England hopes that the 33-year-old will be fit for the second Test in Cape Town on Jan. 2.
Anderson was present for training on the Kingsmead outfield Thursday, but was restricted to kicking a football around with bowling coach Ottis Gibson.
Warwickshire’s Chris Woakes is expected to take his place for the first Test.
Meanwhile, a change from spin-friendly wickets in India to ones favoring seamers means South Africa’s pace attack are keenly looking forward to the Test series against England.
The pacemen toiled in India last month when South Africa was thrashed 3-0 by its host but it will find tailor-made wickets for the four-Test series against the English.
“It’s always fun for a fast bowler starting off in the nets to see a bit of bounce but the whole bowling unit is excited,” said Morne Morkel, who shouldered much of the responsibility in India after injuries to Vernon Philander and Dale Steyn and enhanced his reputation with his reverse-swing bowling.
“Training has gone well in the last two days, it was important for us to get the cobwebs out and to build on (it) for Boxing Day,” Morkel told reporters Wednesday.
“I sat down with (bowling coach) Charl (Langeveldt) and worked on a couple ideas, setting batsmen up with the reversing ball, it was pleasing for me to get that skill going. It’s going to be a crucial part, especially here in Durban where the ball can scuff up.”
Windies and India look to complete abandoned tour
West Indies cricket chiefs said Wednesday that they are edging closer to an agreement which would see them belatedly complete their 2014 tour of India which was controversially abandoned.
Dave Cameron, the president of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB), confirmed that following discussions with his Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) counterpart Shashank Manohar, that the Caribbean side will host India in the Caribbean in 2016.
This agreement, however, is subject to the WICB and the West Indies Players Association (WIPA) “giving a joint commitment to complete, at a later date, the tour which prematurely ended in October 2014,” said a WICB statement.
“Cricket remained the centrepiece of our discussion and we are happy to be at this juncture,” said Cameron.
The West Indies walked out of their 2014 India tour after the fourth One-Day International in Dharamsala due to a bitter dispute over player contracts.
It had been scheduled to play a further ODI, one Twenty20 game and three Tests.
In the aftermath of the tour being abandoned, India said it would pursue a claim for $42 million in compensation from the cash-strapped WICB.
