James Anderson hopes to play four out of six Tests this summer

James Anderson: Coming on the back of a long break, the veteran English seamer hopes to play four out of the six Test matches this summer.

Veteran England seamer James Anderson has agreed that there are murmurs around the English team receiving a break before the Test series against Pakistan.

“I’ve heard whispers of it. Obviously it’d be nice if we can get home for a few days in between the series but, yeah, at the moment we’ve not had anything confirmed so we’ll just keep our fingers crossed on that one,” Anderson was quoted as saying from the Sky Sports player zone during the fourth day of the second Test against West Indies.

Playing amidst the COVID-19 scare, the English team is currently living inside a bio-secure bubble to minimise the risk of contacting the virus. While the last Test against West Indies will finish on July 28, the first Test against Pakistan will begin from August 5.

Expressing a desire to return home, Anderson further mentioned that it wouldn’t be much of a concern if the players are not allowed the permission to return. Most recently, fast bowler Jofra Archer was ruled out of the ongoing match because he visited his home in Brighton while traveling from Southampton to Manchester.

James Anderson hopes to play four out of six Tests this summer

Apart from Archer, Anderson and Mark Wood were also left out for this match in a bid to manage their workloads. Anderson, 37, admitted that bowlers experienced stiffness after the Southampton Test as they were coming on the back of a long unscheduled break.

“There was some stiffness there but to be expected really. I think most of the bowlers had stiffness, after such a long layoff, and then bowling 40 overs in that game there’s bound to be some sort of stiffness but feels good now after a few days resting,” Anderson said.

Anderson, who had anticipated a career extension due to the COVID-19 break, needs 13 more wickets to become the first fast bowler to claim 600 Test wickets. Being asked about playing a certain number of Tests this summer, Anderson didn’t confirm a number but hoped to play four out of the six scheduled Test matches.

“There’s no plan, as such, as to what I’ll play for the summer. Similarly with the other bowlers. I’ve been honest, I think the bowlers getting through four out of six would be pretty good.

“Four out of six Test matches after a long break, and six Test matches that are in a really short space of time, I think that’s probably what the hope is for both the coaches and medical team,” Anderson added.