India vs England: James Anderson’s injury comeback put on hold in India while Haseeb Hameed continues to draw praise
Packed schedule in India means there is no room for bowler to prove his fitness
JAMES ANDERSON must wait at least another week before his Test comeback — even though he says he is fit following a shoulder injury.
But, while the return of 34-year-old Anderson is on hold, England’s youngest player continues to be lavished with praise.
England head coach Trevor Bayliss is the latest to speak in glowing terms about Lancashire opener Haseeb Hameed, 19, following his stunning debut in the drawn First Test.
And Bayliss, a man not prone to exaggeration, even mentioned Hameed in the same sentence as the great Sri Lankan batsman Kumar Sangakkara.
Anderson arrived in India last week after recovering from the stress fracture of the right shoulder that has kept him out of action since August.
He has been bowling in the nets at full throttle and is convinced he could play in the Second Test starting here in Visakhapatnam on Thursday.
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But, after a team performance in Rajkot that Bayliss described as the most satisfying since he took charge 18 months ago, England are not planning any changes.
One of the problems for Anderson is that the congested itinerary means there is no chance for him to prove his match fitness in a warm-up game.
The Lancashire swinger will now probably return for the Third Test in Mohali, where there is traditionally more help for quick bowlers.
Bayliss insisted: “We said before Bangladesh that seven Tests in nine weeks was going to be difficult and that we could change guys here and there. We’ll assess things over the next few days and have a look at Jimmy but I’m not envisaging any changes.”
Hameed scored 31 and 82 on his debut and described batting with Alastair Cook, a year after the captain was guest speaker at an England Under-19s training camp, as “surreal.”
Bayliss has been hugely impressed with Hameed from the day he strapped on his pads for his first net session in Bangladesh a month ago.
The Aussie, who worked with Sangakkara during his time as Sri Lanka coach, said: “Hameed was very composed, he’s a very good player.
“He’s one of those batters, a little like Sangakkara, whether it is in the nets, having throw-downs or with a tennis ball in changing rooms, who just loves to have a bat in his hands.
“I think Hameed can go a long way. I’m loathe to say he is going to be the best player in the world — we don’t want to put that type of pressure on him.
“He has the temperament, the composure and the game to be a very good player but only time will tell where he ends up.
“I’d seen him once playing for Lancashire and all the reports were that he wasn’t a big hitter and didn’t score very quickly.
“But you only have to watch him play to see he has shots. Early in that second innings, he skipped down the wicket and hit Jadeja back over his head for six. That showed his intent.
“He makes a good stride forward, he plays back, he plays spin very well.
“He knows how his game works, something that players years in advance of him would like to have.”
Bayliss added: “The boys should take a lot of confidence from the performance in the First Test.
“Effort-wise, it was probably our best performance since I’ve been with the team. The energy and effort they showed over the five days was close to complete.
“We batted very well against their spinners and bowled well, too. We’ve spoken a lot about keeping going 100 per cent of the time. This was probably the closest we’ve been to doing that.
“That’s what is so pleasing — the conditions were tough and we kept going. If we do that more often, we’ll put in a lot more good, consistent performances. But one decent Test doesn’t make a series.
“We have to continue putting in that same effort for the next four Tests.”
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