17 May 2023 , 13:38
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James Anderson has all but ruled himself out of the Ireland Test to make sure he is fit and firing for the Ashes that follows.
The 40-year-old pace bowler revealed that the groin strain he suffered playing for Lancashire against Somerset last week was classed as a ‘ten day’ injury which is why he is so confident of playing a full part in England’s Test plans.
But pushing himself for a four day Ireland Test that doesn’t feature in the World Test Championship is a risk he doesn’t need to take when the Aussies are next on the agenda just a couple of weeks later.
And having missed all but seven overs of the last Ashes series at home in 2019 with a calf injury, Anderson is desperate to make sure he takes a full part this time.
“I think I will be fit for the Ireland game,” said Anderson at the launch of the ECB’s partnership with Radox. “Whether I play or not is probably another matter really. I definitely don’t want to risk it.
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“It is a little groin strain. A 10-day recovery period, and I’m rehabbing already, running next week. It was the best result of a bad situation. I am desperate to be fit for the first Ashes Test. If that means missing the Ireland Test, so be it.
“I was disappointed to have to pull out of a game but with what’s to come in the summer it was actually a pretty good result. In 2019 I had a different injury, a more serious injury. I ripped my calf earlier that summer, and it was a real push to try to get fit for that first Test. I don’t feel like this is anywhere near that severity.