News Anderson's golfing absence highlights inexperience of England seamers Bowling coach on Old Course as Stokes doubts compound rawness of chosen seam attack Matt Roller 04-Oct-2024 • 36 mins ago Olly Stone trains with a medicine ball ahead of a potentially key role in the first Test • Getty Images {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"ImageObject","contentUrl":"https://img1.hscicdn.
com/image/upload/f_auto/lsci/db/PICTURES/CMS/388400/388437.4.jpg","caption":"Olly Stone trains with a medicine ball ahead of a potentially key role in the first Test"} As England trained in Multan's searing heat for the first time on Friday, their fast-bowling coach was fighting the cold over 4,000 miles away in Scotland.
James Anderson is spending this week playing the historic Old Course at St. Andrews in a pro-am golf tournament, and his late arrival highlights the extent to which a new batch of England seamers are stepping into the unknown. When England last toured Pakistan, Anderson was instrumental in their 3-0 clean sweep .
He played the first two Tests, taking eight wickets at 18.50 - including a ball to Mohammad Rizwan he described as "one of my best" - and doubled up as a fast-bowling coach to Mark Wood and, in particular, Ollie Robinson , who shared 17 wickets between them. But two years hence, they are all absent: Wood has an elbow injury , Robinson has fallen out of favour after one false dawn too many, and Anderson was ushered into retirement in July .
Now, it is another ste.