Eng- Aus pacers getting ready for Ashes 2019

London:England paceman James Anderson, who has been a vital force in red-ball cricket for his team, is expecting to make full recovery ahead of the Ashes series, which begins from August 1.

Anderson, who is turning 37 this month, had sustained "a low-grade calf muscle tear" on July 2 during a County Championship game.

England selector Ed Smith spoke about Anderson's situation, saying, "He's having a bit of a break now he's played a lot of cricket and has been a central protagonist in one of the great stories in sport. He will get every medical attention that we can give to make sure he has every possibility of being fit as soon as possible."

Prior to the Ashes, England are set to host Ireland for a one-off four-day Test at Lord's which begins from July 24. Anderson admitted that he was feeling good but his participation against the Irish would all come down to his fitness level, an ICC report on Saturday said. 

 "We meet up on Monday and at the moment I feel good," Anderson told a media channel. "I will keep bowling and we will monitor it. If it comes to Wednesday and I'm fit to play then great, but if not I will work towards being fit for the Ashes."

The paceman also reflected on England's ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2019 triumph and added that his side now needs to "re-focus" on the upcoming Tests assignments. "It's a really exciting time for English cricket. I think it was an amazing final and the reaction to it has been phenomenal," he said.

"It's time to re-focus on to Test cricket. We realise the dangers that the Australian team bring to Test cricket, so we're going to have to be fully focused on that. We can't afford to hang on to the World Cup win. It's our job as English cricketers to try and carry that momentum on and hopefully an Ashes win will do that," Andersonadded.

Pumped up Cummins gears up for Ashes challenge

Sydney:Australia fast bowler Pat Cummins reminisced his 2015 tour to England, wherein he didn't play a single Test, and is now is eager to make an impact in the upcoming Ashes series, beginning August 1 in Birmingham.

Cummins was a late entry into Australia's Ashes squad in 2015. He came in as a replacement for Ryan Harris, whose knee injury had forced his retirement. Four years later, the Sydney born cricketer finds himself as Australia's strike bowler and can't wait to stamp his authority in the upcoming English summer.

"I feel like it was hardly me," Cummins said of his 2015 self. "I think I had only played a couple of first-class games, I might have played my first first-class game in about three or four years on that tour. Totally different action, was still struggling with my body trying to bowl back-to-back days, trying to bowl 20 overs in a day.

"It was more just absolute excitement at being on that tour. I just remember running the drinks in an Ashes series, I remember thinking 'it doesn't get much better than this'. So I just hope that this time playing, it's a bit different," he said.

The top-ranked bowler in MRF Tyres ICC Test Rankings had finished as Australia's leading wicket-taker in their 4-0 triumph over their arch-rivals at home in 2017-18 with 23 scalps from five games. His form in white-ball cricket has continued ever since, as the tall pacer took a total of 50 scalps in his next three series, including a 10-wicket haul against Sri Lanka, which was Australia's last home series. Cummins is now looking forward to create a similar impact with the Dukes ball, which promises more assistance than the Kookaburra used Down 

Under.

"I'm pumped to have a Dukes ball that hopefully swings around a bit more for me and hopefully a batsman leaves a ball every now and then," said Cummins. "Probably the way it pans out in 80 overs is slightly different to a Kookaburra, but the way you actually bowl, the basics are still there. I'm sure I'll pick up a couple of things in the next few weeks though."

With David Warner and Steve Smith returning to play Test Cricket for the first time since the ball tampering scandal in March 2018, Australia's Test squad appears much the same as their 2017-18 contingent. The 26-year-old reflected on both teams' line-ups, adding that quality cricket awaits in coming weeks, anICC report on Saturday said.

"When you look at our Test side from the home series last year, we've basically got the same squad," he said. "We haven't lost anyone from memory, and they're much the same. They've got a couple of guys coming in, their batting order's going to look slightly different, but probably similar to both sides is that our white-ball teams are quite different to our red-ball team. No matter who's playing, it's always fiery, it's intense, it's really good cricket. So I can't wait."(UNI)