England boss Silverwood drops Anderson and Broad hint ahead of second Ashes Test

Chris Silverwood has confirmed both James Anderson and Stuart Broad are ‘fit and ready to go’ for the second Ashes Test in Adelaide after missing out on selection for England’s opening defeat to Australia.

The tourists instead opted for an attack of Ollie Robinson, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood, Ben Stokes and spinner Jack Leach at the Gabba, where they collapsed to a crushing nine-wicket loss on day four.

Anderson, the all-time leading wicket-taking in Test cricket among fast bowlers, had not been fully match fit and was therefore not considered by Joe Root and the selectors.

Broad, meanwhile, failed to make the cut after being named in England’s initial 12-man squad and there were mounting calls for the veteran duo – who have 1156 Test wickets between them – to return as the Brisbane Test unravelled.

The second Test of the series – a day-night match at the Adelaide Oval – begins on December 16.

‘They are available, yes,’ England head coach Silverwood told reporters when asked whether Anderson and Broad could be recalled.

‘Jimmy will be fit and ready to go for the second Test, as will Stuart. But I have not told anyone they are playing yet.

‘The guys have already been training with the pink ball behind the scenes and what we have got is a very skilful set of bowlers.

‘We have talent and we still have two of the best up our sleeve as well.’

Silverwood has ‘no problem’ with taking responsibility for the comprehensive manner of England’s opening defeat Down Under.

‘It is part of my role to take the criticism because the buck stops with me,’ he added.

‘I have no problem with that and it is how it should be, but we have to work with what we have got.’

Speaking in his Daily Mail column, Broad admitted he was ‘disappointed’ to miss the Ashes opener as he felt he could have had a ‘positive influence’ at the Gabba.

But the 35-year-old hopes to help England wherever possible and has no intention of ‘kicking up a stink’ at such an early stage of the series.

‘I got myself into a mindset where I was ready to go,’ Broad said.

‘I love Ashes cricket, love bowling at the Gabba and feel like I could’ve had a positive influence on a pitch like that.

‘Of course, in my mind I was 100 per cent preparing to play and that’s especially important given my role. As a new-ball bowler, you are faced with bowling one of the most high-pressured deliveries in world sport.

‘Over the past 12 months, Jimmy and I tried to ensure we were as fit as could be in the current Covid climate, ready to go and available for all five Tests in Australia. I think we ticked that box – but England selection is not in the hands of players.

‘It is in those of people who have to make choices based on conditions and the balance of the team and our job now with four matches to go is to be ready for the next [Test].

‘I was disappointed not to play but I also realise this series is a marathon and not a sprint.

‘Never have five Test matches been as bunched up as this and it will be exhausting, so realistically I don’t think any seamer will play all five.’

Broad added: ‘It would be wrong in this scenario to kick up a stink. I’ve been left out on numerous occasions and sometimes it comes as a real surprise.

‘This was less of a surprise, maybe because I wasn’t in the team for the previous series against India due to a calf injury.’

Legendary ex-Australia captain Ricky Ponting was ‘staggered’ England decided to overlook both Anderson and Broad in Brisbane, saying he ‘nearly fell off his stool’ when he learned the news.

‘We all nearly fell off our stools this morning [day one] when we heard that Broad was out as well as Anderson,’ Ponting told cricket.com.au.

‘They are lucky they have got a really good seam attack because that’s the conditions that they’re brought up in.

‘Chris Woakes is a very good bowler, Ollie Robinson, from what I saw against India in conditions that favoured batters, is a very good bowler, and Mark Wood’s the X-factor that’ll give them a bit of extra pace.

‘Maybe the option was to leave the spinner out and keep Broad in – that probably would sit better for me than not having brought Broad or Anderson into the XI.’

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