Rogers feared it was the end

Barring an unexpected recurrence of the dizziness that had Chris Rogers thinking the 125-year-old Lord’s Pavilion was morphing like a teenager at a trance rave, the opener will front up for duty in the third Ashes Test starting on Wednesday.

But the 37-year-old, whose farewell Test tour has thus far been a litany of unwanted setbacks and unnecessary distractions, feared up until the past day or so that he would be forced to sit out this vital match and, indeed, that his time as a top-level cricketer might be finished.

Shaun Marsh appeared likely to slot into the opener’s role having scored an undefeated century against Derbyshire last Thursday after also filling in for the injured Rogers in the West Indies last month, but he will now be simply on standby should a relapse occur.

Though he admits he remains a “day by day” proposition up until the third Test begins, Rogers completed a series of trials within Australia’s training session at Edgbaston today without any outward or inward sign of ill-effects.

Running drills, batting on the lively nets’ pitches against young local bowlers and his own teammates (both pace and spin), fielding and catching, he completed them all without a hint of the wobbles or a backward step.

Which has the Bupa Support Team Medical Staff and – just as importantly – members of the national selection panel and the team hierarchy as confident as anyone can be that the dizziness that forced him to retire from batting at Lord’s eight days ago has passed.

However, the blow that Rogers took to his protective batting helmet, just above his right ear from James Anderson’s first ball of the second day’s play at Lord’s revived uncomfortable memories of the similar knock he suffered in the Caribbean, which led to him being sidelined for two Tests.

Image Id: ~/media/CD94C3C1DEC64F0A99FB698F276799CE

And while the dizziness he suffered was subsequently diagnosed as a vestibular (inner ear) issue rather than another concussion, Rogers had feared the very worst when he succumbed to the “bizarre” symptoms in the second Test.

“If it was concussion, I would have definitely thought that maybe that was it (for my career),” Rogers said today after completing training at Edgbaston, his first full session since the injury that saw him confined to London undergoing specialists’ tests for most of last week.

“But speaking to the specialists, they ruled that out and said it was a completely different injury so that helped.

“It was a really weird sensation. It just looked like it (the Pavilion at Lord’s) was going from left to right, and almost like my eyes were jumping.

“A really bizarre sensation, kind of scary and I wouldn't have been able to continue, so that's why I went off.

“I've never had it before and I must admit for the first few days I thought there was something seriously wrong.

“But after all the tests and seeing the specialists they cleared me of any serious damage.”

Image Id: ~/media/0C5E6901428941679AB782A92A2EC905

Rogers, who completed his highest Test score of 173 despite the blow he copped on the second morning and was integral in Australia’s 405-run win at Lord’s, rejoined his teammates in Derby on Saturday where he underwent some very gentle training exercises.

But it wasn’t until a day or more later that he actually began to feel he would be up to opening the batting for his country on an Edgbaston pitch that is carrying more than a tinge of grass owing to recent damp Midlands weather, and against an England bowling attack that is certain to head-hunt him.

Rogers admitted that the blow he copped from Anderson was more the result of surprise than an inadequacy in handling the short ball, but having spent the bulk of his remarkably productive 16-year first-class career as an opener he knows what will be coming his way.

“If anything, I probably wasn't expecting it (to receive a bouncer) that ball, it was the first ball of the day and I thought I might get a nice little cover drive or something first up,” Rogers said.

“But he (Anderson) really surprised me - I've got to be aware of these things.

“I'm not stupid, I know they'll come even harder at me, but who knows?

“It looks like a green wicket, so if they're bowling short that may work well for me.

“They've still got to pitch it up at some stage, but I know full well they're going to come hard – that’s part and parcel of opening the batting.”

A model of consistency, Chris Rogers has taken his streak of half-centuries one better with a century at the Home of Cricket (restrictions apply)

Australia team doctor Peter Brukner revealed last week that Rogers had shown no sign of injury in the immediate aftermath of being struck, nor in the two days that followed during which he batted and fielded, nor again on the fourth morning before the dizziness struck.

With that in mind, there remains the risk that a specific head movement that has thus far not been replicated in testing or training, or the inherent physical effects of being involved in a five-day Test match might trigger a return bout.

But Rogers, who has indicated he will quit Test cricket at the end of this campaign and admits he is desperate to be involved with the five-Test series in the balance at one-all, and the medical staff remain confident they have upturned every possible stone to pass him fit to play.

“The hardest thing to know is fatigue – (in a) training session you can push yourself quite hard but (match) fatigue is going to be an interesting one,” he said today.

“That's a little bit of a concern, but at this stage everything seems pretty good.”

Chris Rogers passed his nets session against the Australian quick with flying colours and looks set to take his place in an unchanged XI

Click above to learn more about how to stream the Ashes and more cricket