England tipped to drop Anderson and Broad again for third Ashes Test

James Anderson and Stuart Broad returned to the England side for the second Ashes Test, but endured a tough time as Australia sealed yet another emphatic victory

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Keeping ‘brilliant’ Joe Root quiet is big job for Australia, says Justin Langer

Former England bowler Steve Harmison believes James Anderson and Stuart Broad will be dropped for the third Ashes Test.

Captain Joe Root was critical of his bowlers and the length they bowled with the new ball on day one of the second Test in Adelaide.

“With ball in hand, we didn’t bowl the right lengths,” he said. “We needed to bowl fuller. As soon as we did in the second innings, we created chances.

“That’s frustrating. We did it four years ago and didn’t learn from it. We have to be better.

“We talk about what length to bowl all the time. We look at the data, what’s going to hit the stumps on each surface.

“It’s well communicated. But it’s not always as simple as that and people get caught up in the emotion of the game.”

Broad, however, defended the way England bowled midway through the Test in his Mail on Sunday column, insisting they were right to try and tie down Australia ‘s batters.

“Although there was an argument that we could have bowled fuller, because the ball did so little, our economy rates would have gone through the roof,” Broad said.

“Without movement, fuller means you’re bowling genuine half-volleys and that’s not a great place to be.”

Harmison, who featured in three Ashes series during his career, believes Root’s comments about the bowlers were “a first shot across the bow to leave the two all-time greats out”.

Speaking on behalf of Genting Casino , Harmison said: “I think England will pick [Chris] Woakes and [Craig] Overton [in Melbourne] and I think they’ll leave both Broad and Anderson out.

“That message from Joe Root at the end of the second Test was a first shot across the bow to leave the two all-time greats out.

“I think Root’s comments about the bowlers were said in the heat of the moment, I think he wanted to mention something that was on the tip of his tongue, but I don’t think it was meant to be that severe.

“Perhaps he was playing mind games and this was Root’s way of saying to the media that they didn’t bowl well enough and this is giving him justification to drop Anderson and Broad in the future.”

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