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James Anderson is facing a race to be fit for the Ashes after the ECB confirmed he suffered a calf tear.
The England fast bowler limped out of Lincolnshire’s County Championship match against Durham last Tuesday with an injury to his lower leg, and what was initially described as a feeling of “muscle tightness” has been confirmed as a low-grade muscle tear, following a scan.
It means that Anderson has just three weeks to recover in time to be fit for the opening Ashes match against Australia , which gets underway at the start of August.
An ECB statement read: “England seam bowler Jimmy Anderson, who left the field during Lancashire’s Specsavers County Championship match against Durham at Sedbegh School on Tuesday 2 July due to tightness to his right calf, underwent an MRI scan on Friday. The MRI confirmed that Anderson has suffered a low grade calf muscle tear. As a result of the injury, he will commence a rehabilitation programme with the England and Lancashire CCC medical teams.
“Anderson will miss Lancashire’s next two Championship matches against Northants and Sussex.
Show all 23 1 /23Player ratings from England vs New Zealand Player ratings from England vs New Zealand England vs New Zealand
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Player ratings from England vs New Zealand Jonny Bairstow 8 out of 10 Back-to-back hundreds, and this was even better than the one against India. More fluent from the start, Bairstow struck the ball beautifully throughout but again fell shortly after reaching the landmark.
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Player ratings from England vs New Zealand Jason Roy 7 Consecutive breezy 50s thrown away rather tamely, Roy done in on this occasion by lack of footwork and giving catching practice to extra-cover. Remains crucial to both the side and his opening partner, and due another truly game-breaking score.
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Player ratings from England vs New Zealand Joe Root 6 Strangled hooking at a misdirected short ball from Boult, reviewing in vain as a thin edge through to the keeper ended a bright run-a-ball 24.
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Player ratings from England vs New Zealand Jos Buttler 6 Promoted up to number four but failed to come off, chipping a Boult knuckleball to mid-off. The merits of promoting him with others perhaps in better form will be debated, but it was right move under the circumstances, even if Buttler fell cheaply. Stunning catch to remove Guptill.
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Player ratings from England vs New Zealand Eoin Morgan 7 His 42 was better than the scorecard suggests, negotiating a tumble of wickets and a pitch getting tougher by the ball to ensure England got up to something more than a par score. Captained strongly.
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Player ratings from England vs New Zealand Ben Stokes 6 A strange innings, struggling desperately to score but repeatedly finding fielders, failing to rotate the strike as England stagnated. The pressure told as he holed out to long-on off Santner. Gifted a wicket with his first ball as de Grandhomme picked out Root.
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Player ratings from England vs New Zealand Chris Woakes 7 Excellent opening spell, on the money straight away to Guptill and then trapping Nicholls LBW first ball. He and Archer put New Zealand on the back foot immediately, as they did against India – a strong double act.
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Player ratings from England vs New Zealand Liam Plunkett 7 Plunkett kept things tight through the middle with New Zealand reluctant to attack his cross-seamers and cutters, He and Rashid helped wrest momentum back England’s way with their vital late partnership dragging their side past 300.
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Player ratings from England vs New Zealand Adil Rashid 5 Again disappointing with the ball, bowling only two overs with the game alive, haphazard ones at that. Enterprising cameo in conjunction with Plunkett and a brilliant bit of fielding to run out Taylor.
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Player ratings from England vs New Zealand Jofra Archer 8 Outstanding in tandem with Woakes, quick and threatening but so remarkably tight, limiting scoring options and forcing batsmen to play. The ball that got Guptill might have been his loosest, in fact. Cricket’s a funny game.
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Player ratings from England vs New Zealand Mark Wood 8 Enjoyed a fine day on his home ground, forcing Neesham to chop on with a bit of extra skid and then had Santner plumb in front. Cleaned up Henry to close things out. A vital intervention off his own bowling, too, the slightest of touches with the middle finger as the ball bounced past to send Williamson on his way.
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Player ratings from England vs New Zealand Henry Nicholls 3 Gone LBW to the first ball he faced. A tentative shot and a curious decision not to review a ball bouncing over the top of off stump – it looked like it was clipping at best.
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Player ratings from England vs New Zealand Martin Guptill 4 Fell cheaply fending an Archer ball down the leg-side. Could perhaps also be dinged for not encouraging junior partner Nicholls to review an LBW, though the non-striker’s angle isn’t always the best one.
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Player ratings from England vs New Zealand Kane Williamson 5 Superb in the field, managing his bowlers well and setting constricting fields to stagnate England’s innings. Run out in cruel fashion as he set about putting the team on his back yet again in the chase.
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Player ratings from England vs New Zealand Ross Taylor 5 Like Williamson run out after a start, though there was nothing unfortunate about his departure, charging back after calling his partner through for the riskiest of twos and short of his ground despite a dive.
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Player ratings from England vs New Zealand Tom Latham 7 The best of the New Zealand batsmen by a distance, timing the ball beautifully on a tricky pitch and rarely troubled by the England bowlers. You wonder what might have been had one of Taylor and Williamson been with him.
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Player ratings from England vs New Zealand James Neesham 7 Excellent with the ball (2-41), keeping things tight with his team under pressure and utilising his slower balls well. Chopped on just as he and Latham started to build a partnership.
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Player ratings from England vs New Zealand Colin De Grandhomme 3 All-round ineptitude. One expensive over the ball, just three with the bat, pulling Stokes’ first ball down square-leg’s throat.
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Player ratings from England vs New Zealand Mitchell Santer 6 So nearly had a wicket with the first ball of the match, an inswinger just evading Roy’s leg-stump. Little in the way of spin and Santner was expensive for most of his allocation, but dragged it back well with two excellent overs at the death, including the wicket of a frustrated Stokes. Sharp catch to remove Morgan, too. In after the horse had bolted with the bat and essentially netted for 30 balls.
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Player ratings from England vs New Zealand Tim Southee 4 Loose at the top, bowling too wide and aiding England in getting away. Shook off the ring rust a little as he continued through his nine overs - and snared a wicket at the death - but the most expensive seam bowler by a distance.
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Player ratings from England vs New Zealand Matt Henry 7 The first of the New Zealand seamers to properly assess the pitch and figure out a method for success. Henry removed Bairstow and Morgan at key times and might have had better figures had he not been at times pressed into an enforcer role to which he is ill-suited in the absence of Ferguson.
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Player ratings from England vs New Zealand Trent Boult 7 Two key interventions to slow England, first prying Root from the crease with a short ball and then out-foxing Buttler with a crafty knuckleball, becoming New Zealand’s leading World Cup wicket-taker in the process. Was disappointing with the new ball, however.
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“He will be reassessed on an ongoing basis regarding his availability for the Specsavers Test match versus Ireland at Lord‘s on 24 July and the Specsavers Ashes Series against Australia starting on 1 August.”
The news leaves England sweating over their leading wicket-taker, with the first Test due to get underway on 1 August, two days before his 37th birthday.
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