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Chris Silverwood Says England Not Afraid to Make Big Selection Calls if Needed
By Shruti - Jan 1, 2020 1:50 pm
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England coach Chris Silverwood has said that either James Anderson or Stuart Broad is going to be dropped for the second Test against South Africa in Capetown as they will bring in a spinner. A 107-run defeat in the first Test at Centurion raised may questions. Moreover, many of the players were not well health-wise.

“In Jimmy (Anderson) and Stuart (Broad), we have a wealth of experience and we’d be really stupid not to take that into consideration every game,” Silverwood said. “But, equally, you want your youngsters to come through, and if we’re going to make room for a spinner, we’ve got to have a look at which seamers are right for this pitch. If there’s a big decision, we’re not afraid to make it.”

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The Newlands pitch is one of the few pitches in the country which helps the spinners, and Silverwood knows that very well.

“We’ve got to look at playing a spinner at Newlands,” he said. “We’ll go down there and do what we always do – look through the records, what features where, and who is going to have most impact on that game. We’ll do our homework and go from there.”

“It’s a fine balance. You’ve got to look at the surface and at an attack you feel is best going to counter that and best counter the opposition,” Joe Root said.

Joe Root
Joe Root

“I think the ideal scenario is to have people pushing them [Anderson and Broad] all the time, so that they’re constantly trying to improve themselves. They’ve got fantastic records behind them and they’ve produced fantastic things for England in the very recent past. You don’t want to wish those guys away or look back and think, ‘we’ve forced Jimmy Anderson out,” he added.

Silverwood said that adversity has made his side stronger as well.

“I think there’s some aspects from this Test that have galvanised us,” he said. “We’ve seen a lot of character, a lot of guts and a lot of bravery from a few of the guys that have been poorly but have got themselves out there, got themselves up for it and shown a lot of fight. I’m proud of the guys in that respect,” Chris Silverwood concluded.