Veteran England pacer James Anderson is confident of recovering from a groin injury in time and be fully fit to lead England’s bowling attack in the Ashes against Australia but conceded that he is not thinking about rushing his return for the one-off Test against Ireland, starting June 1. Anderson suffered a groin injury while playing for Lancashire in the County Championships but the 40-year-old is hopeful of recovering from it as early as possible.
Despite the injury concern, Anderson was named in the 15-man squad for the one-off Test against Ireland even as young quick Jofra Archer was ruled out due to a stress fracture in his elbow. The magician with 685 wickets will be key to England’s prospects in what is excited to be one of the most hard-fought and exciting Ashes series and it seems the veteran is aware of it, especially in Archer’s absence.
“It’s obviously not great getting injured but it’s probably the best outcome for what it is because it’s a low-grade thing. I think in a couple of weeks I’ll be back to full fitness,” Anderson told the BBC’s Tailenders podcast.
“It’s frustrating because you always want to feel good and get enough bowling in before a series and you want to be fresh. So it’s now about trying to plan the best route through this summer.
“I felt like I needed to play this game so it’s not ideal, but I’m not stressed about it.”
Anderson, who is not growing any younger, has been targetting the upcoming Ashes for long as speculation over his retirement is rife. And ahead of the all-important series, he wants to avoid a situation similar to 2019 when he was ruled out of the Test series after picking up an injury on Day 1 of the first Test.
Australia retained the Ashes after the series in England was drawn 2-2.
“I’m just taking it day by day and seeing how it goes because obviously, I don’t want to risk anything by making it worse,” Anderson added.
“I’m more confident I can get this one right (compared to 2019) and give the Ashes a right good crack.”
