Strauss to delay decision on Anderson replacement
ENGLAND captain Andrew Strauss will delay naming James Anderson’s replacement until shortly before the start of today’s second Test against Sri Lanka at Lord’s.
Lancashire seamer Anderson was unable to bowl in the second innings of the remarkable first Test victory on Monday and the side strain he picked up in Cardiff will prevent him from leading England’s attack at HQ.
Middlesex’s Steven Finn, who was dropped from the side after the second Test of last winter’s Ashes, despite being the leading wicket-taker in the series at that point, is tipped to feature on his home ground, but Strauss hasn’t discounted Jade Dernbach, called-up for the first time earlier this week.
“It’s obviously between Jade Dernbach and Steven Finn for that last place in the side,” said Strauss. “We’re very excited by both. We haven’t seen a lot of Jade but he’s been very impressive both for the Lions and when he’s been amongst the squad.
“We all know what Steven Finn can do – he’s been a quality performer for us over the last 12 months.”
Finn’s relative seniority would suggest he is the natural replacement, but his similarity to other tall, hit-the-deck merchants Chris Tremlett and Stuart Broad could ultimately count against him.
Dernbach, whose key weapon is his ability to swing the new ball, would, however, represent a more like-for-like replacement for Anderson.
“We’re going to have to decide what we think is the right balance of attack for this particular. We know that Lord’s generally is a good wicket. You’ve got to fight hard for your wickets and it’s usually five days of very hard work.
“I think we’ve got some good strength in depth with the bowlers and whoever gets the final nod will do a good job, I’m sure.”