Veteran James Anderson expected to sit out of Ireland Test to remain fit for Ashes opener

Veteran English fast bowler James Anderson recently suffered a mild strain on his left groin and is expected to sit out of the one-off Test against Ireland, starting June 1st at Lord's. Though he got named in the 15-man squad, Anderson might decide against playing to remain fit for the Ashes opener against Australia, on June 16th in Edgbaston.

Playing for Lancashire against Somerset in the County Championship, Anderson picked up the injury on day one and didn't take any part in the game afterwards. Following the scans on Friday, the results showed there is not much to worry about, but on precautionary grounds, Anderson will likely get the rest.

Although, he will undergo a ten-day recovery period that will see him hit the ground running before the start of the Ireland Test. Alongside him, pacer Mark Wood, who also is preserved for the mega five-match Test series, could be benched for the Ireland game, leaving options from Stuart Broad, Ollie Robinson, Chris Woakes and Matthew Potts to choose from.

"I think I will be fit for the game," Anderson said of the Ireland fixture. "Whether I play or not is probably another matter really. I definitely don't want to risk it.

"I feel good, fine. I had a scan on the second day of that game. It was a little groin strain. It's a 10-day recovery period, and I'm rehabbing already, running next week. It was the best result of a bad situation. I'm 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," the veteran seamer said.

Meanwhile, England will remain worried about their pace cordon heading into the Ashes with two express-fast seamers in Jofra Archer (who got ruled out of English summer due to elbow issue) and Olly Stone, who are out of contention. Considering this scenario, Anderson's fitness will remain England's primary concern.

Here is the Ashes schedule -

• First Test (Edgbaston) - June 16 - June 20
• Second Test (Lord's) - June 28 - July 2
• Third Test (Clean Slate Headingley) - July 6 - July 10
• Fourth Test (Emirates Old Trafford) - July 19 - July 23
• Fifth Test (The Kia Oval) - July 27 - July 31