England’s most successful fast bowler in Test history, James Anderson, suffered a “mild strain to his right groin” just a month before the Ashes series against Australia. The England and Wales Cricket Board announced that Anderson sustained the injury on Thursday’s opening day of Lancashire’s County Championship match against Somerset at Old Trafford and took no further part in the match that ended in a draw on Sunday.
Anderson, who has taken 685 Test wickets, will be assessed closer to the time of the lone Test against Ireland at Lord’s starting on June 1. England is due to name their squad for the Ireland game, which precedes the five-match Ashes series later this week.
Although Anderson’s coach at Lancashire, Glen Chapple, told the BBC that the injury was not “anything too serious”, England will want to avoid a repeat of the situation in the 2019 Ashes opener at Edgbaston where Anderson bowled just four overs before tearing his calf and having to pull out. His absence left a huge hole in England’s attack as Australia won by 251 runs. The series ended in a 2-2 draw, with holders Australia retaining the Ashes.
Anderson’s injury adds to the list of fitness problems suffered by England’s fast bowlers, with Jofra Archer, Olly Stone, and Brydon Carse all sidelined in recent weeks. Archer returned from the Indian Premier League with a recurrence of his longstanding elbow problem, Stone suffered a hamstring injury playing for Nottinghamshire, and Carse, who is uncapped at Test level, was laid low by a side injury playing for Durham.
Anderson is not the only key player who England will be monitoring ahead of the Ashes. All-rounder Ben Stokes is taking an indefinite break from cricket to focus on his mental well-being and will miss Ireland and Ashes Tests. Stokes is one of the team’s best players and his absence will be a significant blow for England. Meanwhile, Jofra Archer has been ruled out of the Ashes series and the rest of the year with a recurrence of a stress fracture in his elbow. This means England will be without two of their most important players for the Ashes, which starts on December 8 in Brisbane.
