"Looks like he is struggling a little bit" - Kevin Pietersen on James Anderson
Kevin Pietersen reckons that England's veteran pacer James Anderson doesn't seem to be at his best in the ongoing Ashes series against Australia.
He pointed out how the seamer's performance was underwhelming on the first day of the ongoing second Test. The former England captain opined that the conditions at Lord's favored Anderson, but that he still failed to exploit them.
Pietersen made these remarks during a discussion on Sky Sports. He said:
He (James Anderson) looks like he is struggling a little bit. His comments after the Birmingham Test match were, 'I am done if wickets are like this again'. The wicket actually offered as much today as they could have ever offered him. If he could have asked for the most perfect wicket, in the most perfect conditions, this morning had it."
Anderson remained wicketless in the 15 overs he bowled on the opening day. It is worth mentioning that he bagged just one wicket in the first Test.
"A huge surprise" - Eoin Morgan pinpoints Ben Stokes' tactical error
During the discussion, Eoin Morgan stated that he was surprised to see England captain Ben Stokes hand the ball to Josh Tongue after lunch on Day 1.
He suggested that the skipper should have instead gone to Stuart Broad, as Marnus Labuschagne was at the crease. Morgan pointed out that Borad was extremely effective against the star batter in the earlier encounter, commenting:
"Ben Stokes has done things differently throughout his whole captaincy tenure. But after Edgbaston, when Stuart Broad has dismissed Marnus Labuschagne twice, he came in after the lunch break and went straight to Josh Tongue, which is a huge surprise, given that Broad got him with that new outswing delivery that he has been working on."
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Day 1 ends with Australia in control, but Joe Root's late double-strike gives England hope.
The game is finely poised. 🔥🏏
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Labuschagne scored 47 runs before being dismissed by Ollie Robinson. Australia find themselves in the driver's seat, finishing at 339/5 at stumps. Steve Smith remained unbeaten on 85 and is nearing his 32nd Test ton.