Anderson non-selection 'blown out of proportion'

Alastair Cook has said he wants to move on from the "sideshow" regarding the omission of James Anderson for the opening Test against Pakistan at Lord's.

Medical advice regarding his shoulder injury overruled the desire of Cook and Trevor Bayliss to have Anderson in the side. Anderson then went to play two days of Lancashire's Championship match against Durham at Southport, where he took 3 for 58 off 22 overs.

However, Cook believes the fall-out, which has included a suggestion that Andrew Strauss wants to drastically alter the selection model England use, has been an overreaction because the Test was lost - something far more down to England's poor batting than a failure of the bowling attack, which removed Pakistan for 339 and 215.

"A lot has been blown out of proportion," Cook said. "Unfortunately, we didn't play the greatest game of cricket. So then people start jumping on things which were less important, but became more so because we lost.

"If we'd played really good cricket, and won the game - and the 11 guys were certainly capable of that - then that story wouldn't be blown up like it has been.

"It's happened. It was a slightly messy affair, no one intended it to be like that and we've got to move on, and play better cricket. It's been a bit of a sideshow - an unimportant sideshow, really."

An England spokesman said on Wednesday that there were no plans to sack any selectors. However, Strauss has previously said that he would examine the selection process once he had got through various other issues that were in a rather full inbox when he took on the managing director role last year. So if any changes do occur in the future they could well have been on the cards regardless of the Anderson situation.

Anderson and Ben Stokes, who also proved his fitness in the match at Southport following knee surgery, will return to England's XI at Old Trafford as they aim to level the series, with Steven Finn and Jake Ball making way.

"It's great to have Jimmy back. He's an outstanding bowler, it's great to have him fully fit," Cook said. "If he'd bowled 30 overs and really hurt his shoulder, and was out again, we'd all be sitting here and be disappointed with that decision.

"In hindsight, he could have played that game - because obviously, he went and played for Lancashire and got through that. We probably erred on the side of caution, and have to hope we now have him for three games."