Australia opener Chris Rogers came through a nets session against the tourists’ pace attack with no visible ill-effects at Edgbaston on Monday as he aimed to prove his fitness for the third Ashes Test.
The 37-year-old left-hander succumbed to a sudden bout of dizziness during the second Test at Lord’s last Sunday and had to leave the field as Australia completed a 405-run thrashing of England to level the five-match series at 1-1.
A week of tests in London revealed nothing more serious than a balance problem in the inner ear, thought to have been caused when he was hit on the helmet by a short ball from James Anderson at Lord’s in his first-innings 173 – Rogers’s Test-best score.
Following Monday’s net session, Australia fast bowler Mitchell Starc said Rogers had been given a proper workout.
“We all had a bowl at him,” the left-arm quick told reporters.
“He seems to have come through it pretty well. I haven’t seen him since the net but all reports are that he is good to go,” added Starc, with the third Test set to start at Birmingham tomorrow.
“I think he will have another hit tomorrow [Tuesday], and seems to be good.”
Starc was adamant Australia’s quick bowlers had not eased up against Rogers, who missed the recent 2-0 Test series win in the Caribbean with a concussion suffered while batting in the nets.
“Yes it was full tilt,” Starc said. “We are all preparing for a Test match. If everyone is bowling full tilt and he gets through that then he is ready to go.
“No one is holding back, no matter who is at the other end.”
Rogers, who plans to retire after the Ashes, missed the three-day tour match at Derby, completed Saturday, where Shaun Marsh, who replaced him in the West Indies, made a first-innings hundred in a rain-affected draw.
Australia are looking to win an Ashes series for the first time in 14 years and Edgbaston has not proven to be a happy hunting ground for them in the past, with only one victory at the ground in the past 22 years.
Starc predicted England would be in line for more fast bowling from the tourists, after Mitchell Johnson’s pace had caused them trouble at Lord’s.
“It’s great to see a few of the guys jumping about and we got a few wickets that way,” he said. “We’ve got a bit of extra pace on our side and hopefully there’s a bit of pace in this wicket.
“Short stuff is definitely on the menu.”
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