Anderson to rest for final test

CRICKET: Jimmy Anderson has been instructed to rest for England’s final Test against West Indies next week while a decision …

CRICKET:Jimmy Anderson has been instructed to rest for England's final Test against West Indies next week while a decision on Stuart Broad's participation has been delayed until the squad meets up at Edgbaston.

Anderson (29) was reluctant to sit out the match despite its dead-rubber status, given that he is fully fit following minor thigh tightness and is in prime form.

Named England’s player of the year last month, his 267 wickets in 70 Tests places him fifth in his country’s all-time wicket-takers’ list. The new-ball alliance he has formed with Broad, who has 161 in 47, has become as potent as any pairing on the international scene, and ensuring the duo are fit for the summer’s main event, the three-Test series against South Africa, has become one of the England management’s priorities.

Meanwhile, the International Cricket Council has decided to retain the Duckworth-Lewis method of recalculating targets in weather-affected limited-overs matches, despite a proposal from India to adopt a rival system.