James Anderson left out of fifth Ashes Test

England’s all-time leading wicket taker missed the fourth Test with a side strain suffered during his team’s eight-wicket win in the third Test at Edgbaston.

The seam department of Stuart Broad, Steven Finn, Mark Wood and Ben Stokes did a sterling job in Nottingham, so what is the point of risking Anderson when his side might go again?

“He’s improved leaps and bounds”, opening batsman Cook said Wednesday of Root, who has often come to the crease after a top-order collapse.

“For all the talk about 4-1, it’s about making sure guys have their feet on the ground and know how much work, patience and skill went into getting those results”, said the captain. The fifth and final Test of the current Ashes series begins on Thursday August 20, at The Oval.

Bairstow, who also plays for Yorkshire, was quoted by eurosport.co.uk as saying, “It has been a case of cracking on and finding out things for yourself”.

After his debut hundred in Bangalore in 2004, which he completed wearing his baggy green Australia cap rather than his helmet, Clarke like many a young player before him saw his form dip.

Australian cricketer Chris Rogers on Tuesday said he will retire from Test after the ongoing Ashes series.

But so far this series he has been restricted to 11 wickets in four Tests, although having to defend low totals – including Australia’s 60 all out in the first innings of their fourth Test defeat at Trent Bridge – did not help his cause. “But I’m really excited about what lies ahead for Australia cricket”.

“It’s still important for us to play well”, he said. “Especially with Liam Plunkett as well, we have good strength in depth”.

“Australia did it very well to us when they were 3-0 up”, he said.

Rogers will leave with mixed feelings, but confidence too that he is definitely ending his Test career at the right time. I think we went through a period as a team when we wouldn’t speak to any of our ex-players and it was like us versus them.

“Before the series he was someone I looked up to as a fan of the game, this series I’ve been up against and have had to try and get him out and that will be the same this game”. In 1977 rain ruined the contest, in 1981, a six-match series, enough miracles had already been performed to preclude an England win, and in 2013, bad light ended the match when they were in sight of victory, though only because Australia had twice declared. As cricket writer Jarrod Kimber observed: “To get a public apology all Michael Clarke had to do was score 329 not out, 210, 259 not out and 230 in one year”.