England are considering leaving spearhead fast bowler James Anderson out of their team for next week’s third Test against the West Indies at Edgbaston in order to give the Lancashire seamer a rest. The hosts, 2-0 up in the three-match series, are due to name their squad on Sunday. Reports in the British press on Saturday indicated Anderson could be omitted for the ‘dead’ match, with England facing another crowded home international programme. Test cricket, despite the growing global appeal of Twenty20, has remained the priority for English administrators, fans and players alike. According to a report in the Guardian, Anderson, named England’s player of the year last month, is fully fit following a minor thigh problem. The 29-year-old has missed just one of England’s previous 25 Tests and, having spent much of his early international career as a squad player, is keen to add to his tally of 267 wickets which places him fifth on his country’s all-time list of most successful Test bowlers. He took six wickets in England’s nine-wicket win at Trent Bridge, where he and Stuart Broad, with Tim Bresnan as third seamer, continued to torment the tourists’ fragile top order. England are due to play three Tests against South Africa, challenging them as the world’s number one ranked side in the five-day game, later in the season and have a host of one-day games with both the West Indies and the Proteas as well. In between the two main tours, they are also set for a one-day series with arch-rivals Australia. However, that campaign was called into question Saturday after reports in the Australian press warned of a possible strike by Australia players in protest over revised performance-related pay rules. While an abandoned series would clearly have financial implications for the ECB, it could prove a boon for Broad, a mainstay in all three major formats and England’s Twenty20 captain.
