Anderson gutted for injured Archer; Bairstow sympathises with dropped Foakes

England's veteran pacer James Anderson expressed sympathy for his teammate and fellow fast bowler Jofra Archer, who will miss the Test against Ireland and the Ashes series starting from June 16.

 Archer, suffering from a stress fracture in his right elbow, has not played Test Cricket since February 2021.

He could play only five matches for Mumbai Indians in the ongoing edition of the IPL and took only two wickets at a disappointing economy rate of 9.50. Archer was then ruled out of the squad with niggling injuries.

"It just keeps coming back and niggling at him, so I am absolutely gutted for him. I know how hard he has worked to try to get back fit and I hope it is not too bad and he can get back as soon as possible," Anderson told Sky Sports News.

Further adding on he said, "When you see someone struggle with the same sort of injuries, I think it is only sensible to try to manage your workload and whether that is playing one format or two then that is probably a sensible thing to do. That's something he will have to work out with the coaches going forward."

Anderson has an injury concern of his own ahead of the clash with Ireland at Lord's Cricket Stadium. He suffered from a minor groin strain during Lancashire's recent County Championship match against Somerset.
England's leading wicket-taker in Test history, Anderson is aiming to be involved in as many matches as possible but his main focus is on ensuring he is fully fit to face Australia for the Ashes in June.

"We know what the important series is this year. No disrespect to Ireland, we want to have as many players as possible fit for that first Ashes Test, so hopefully I will be" said James Anderson to Sky Sports.

England on Tuesday announced their squad for the Test against Ireland which will be played from June 1 at the Lord's in England.

Ben Stokes will lead the 15-man squad with right-hand batter Ollie Pope named as the vice-captain.

England's squad has gained strength with the return of wicketkeeper-batter Jonny Bairstow, who was out of action since August last year after a golf accident left him with a broken left leg and dislocated ankle.

Bairstow said he feels sympathy towards fellow wicketkeeper Ben Foakes after he was left out of the England Test squad for the Ashes warm-up against Ireland.

Foakes was dropped to accommodate stumper-batsman Bairstow, who scored six centuries in 2022 before suffering a leg injury in September that kept him out of the Twenty20 World Cup in Australia.

In Bairstow's absence, Foakes established himself as first choice behind the stumps under coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes during the team's streak of 10 victories in 12 Tests.

"I've been in that same position previously around getting dropped so I've got a huge amount of sympathy for Ben (Foakes) and for anyone really who gets dropped," Bairstow, who last kept wicket for England in a test in 2021, told the BBC on Wednesday.

"He'll be back I'm sure because in the last 12 months he's been a big part of what we've been about, he's been a big part of the group.

"It's never an easy decision and never a position you want to be in."

Former captain Michael Atherton supported the England board's decision to pick Bairstow over Foakes.

"My own view is that Bairstow is more likely to help England win a match with bat than lose it with gloves. He would be my choice," Atherton wrote in his column for The Times newspaper.

"It is not hard to imagine the destruction he might cause, coming in at number seven against an old ball and a tiring attack."

England will face Ireland at Lord's on June 1 before the five-test Ashes series against Australia begins at Edgbaston on June 16.