Published 16:18 IST, December 31st 2019
England not afraid to make 'big decision' as coach hints at dropping Broad or Anderson
England head coach, Chris Silverwood on Monday hinted that the team might have to drop one of the 2 veteran pacers, James Anderson or Stuart Broad, in next Test
After a stunning 107-run defeat against South Africa, the mightly English men will be looking to tweak some things in their team to come back stronger in the second Test which begins on January 3. Apart from Jofra Archer's bouncy spell and Rory Burns' gritty 80 runs, there weren't many positives for England to carry forward.
England head coach, Chris Silverwood on Monday hinted that the team might have to drop one of the two veteran pacers, James Anderson or Stuart Broad, in the next Test in Cape Town. This comes, in addition to England's illness woes, as twelve players including skipper Joe Root have already suffered from sickness on the tour.
'We are not afraid to make a big decision'
"In Jimmy (Anderson) and Stuart (Broad), we have a wealth of experience and we'd be really stupid not to take that into consideration every game, But, equally, you want your youngsters to come through, and if we're going to make room for a spinner, we've got to have a look at which seamers are right for this pitch. If there's a big decision, we're not afraid to make it," ICC quoted the English Head Coach.
The team management is also looking forward to giving spinner Jack Leach an opportunity as he has regained his fitness fully and the pitch at Newlands is said to provide assistance to spinners. "We'll go down there and do what we always do - look through the records, what features where, and who is going to have most impact on that game. We'll do our homework and go from there. We have got to look at playing a spinner at Newlands," said Chris Silverwood.
'They've got fantastic records'
Furthermore, Skipper Joe Root had the same views similar to Coach Silverwood ahead of the second Test as he said, "You've got to look at the surface and at an attack you feel is best going to counter that and best counter the opposition." He added, "I think the ideal scenario is to have people pushing them [Anderson and Broad] all the time so that they're constantly trying to improve themselves. They've got fantastic records behind them and they've produced fantastic things for England in the very recent past. You don't want to wish those guys away or look back and think, 'we've forced Jimmy Anderson out."
Updated 16:18 IST, December 31st 2019