England vs India: Days before Lord’s Test, James Anderson has a close shave at golf session

England’s most experienced bowler James Anderson had a close shave during a golf session at the Stoke Park course in Buckinghamshire days ahead of the second Test against India at Lord’s when a golf ball hit by him came back with full velocity after hitting a tree.

Anderson, who took four wickets in the first Test in Birmingham which England won by 31 runs to go 1-0 up in the five-match series, is now just 19 wickets short of former Australian great Glenn Mcgrath (563) as the highest wicket-taking fast bowler in the longest format. He has already played 15 Tests more than Mcgrath. An injury at this stage could spoil plans of both England and Anderson for this series.

Not a serious injury

He was hit on his face but did not have any serious injury, as was confirmed by his fellow pacer Stuart Broad who accompanied him to the golf ground. Broad tweeted a video of the incident of Anderson making an evasive move after getting hit by the deflected ball and said the latter was fine along with posting a series of “crying laughter” emojis.

A) @jimmy9 is perfectly fine.
B) 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/oaf0Px3Wab

— Stuart Broad (@StuartBroad8) August 5, 2018

The veteran fast bowler has also been a key cog in the current England team’s wheel. Besides being the hosts’ weapon in swing bowling who is as lethal with the old ball, Anderson has also been waging a psychological warfare against the Indian captain Virat Kohli whom he dismissed a number of times in the 2014 series that India lost 1-3. In the first Test, however, the veteran failed to pick the batsman in either of the innings and he went on to slam 200 runs in two innings, including a scintillating 149 in the first.

The two sides will lock horns over the second Test from August 9 and the hosts will miss the service of Ben Stokes who took four wickets in India’s second innings in that Test owing to a court hearing over his last year’s brawl in Bristol.

An injury to Anderson during a pass time activity would have caused the hosts much discomfort ahead of the Test they would aim to win to make it difficult for the visitors who are in the hunt for their first Test series win in England since 2007.

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