• Three players battling to replace Anderson in
England side• ‘They’ve an opportunity to prove they should be in the team’Three pacemen and one place: that is England’s dilemma in Port Elizabeth. Someone has to replace Jimmy Anderson in the team and the only way in which the three candidates – Jofra Archer, Mark Wood and Chris Woakes – can impress is in the nets. On Monday they all steamed in; they will do the same on Wednesday in a shorter session and then Joe Root, now fit enough to train after a stomach bug, must decide which one to play in the Test starting here on Thursday.
Speaking just before what was always going to be a rigorous net session, especially for the batsmen designated to face the three candidates, Paul Collingwood outlined their situation. “They’ve an opportunity over the next two training sessions to prove to us they should be the one in the team,” he said. All three were fit to bowl; indeed Collingwood noted this rarity on tour. “It’s actually really nice to be able to come into a Test being able to choose from players who are 100% ready to go.”