Anderson suffers injury scare and Stokes struggling to bowl ahead of Ashes

Anderson, 40, left the field on day one of Lancashire’s County Championship match against Somerset and took no further part in the game.

The England and Wales Cricket Board said Anderson sustained a ‘mild strain to his right groin’ and will be assessed nearer the time of the Test against Ireland on June 1.

England coach Brendon McCullum will hope Anderson is fit for the Lord’s Test and then the five-match Ashes series against Australia, which starts on June 16.

Providing an update on Anderson after Lancashire’s draw with Somerset at Old Trafford, Lancs coach Glen Chapple said: ‘It just looks like a tweaked groin to me.

‘Jimmy bowled really well first innings but he has just irritated a groin. I don’t think it’s anything too serious.

‘We should be positive about his recovery but it was bad enough to not take any further part in the game.’

Anderson is England’s all-time leading wicket-taker with 685 scalps from 179 Tests.

England will also monitor the fitness of Test captain Stokes ahead of the Ashes as bowling is still ‘a bit of a challenge’ for a player who has endured an underwhelming IPL.

Stokes wants to be England’s fourth seamer against Australia but has only bowled one over for Chennai Super Kings during the IPL and has not played for over a month.

The 31-year-old, who has guided England to 10 wins from 12 games since taking over as captain, has been available to play over the past week but been overlooked by Chennai coach Stephen Fleming.

The former New Zealand skipper said: ‘Ben’s ability to bowl overs at the moment is still a bit of a challenge, but he’s there as that batting cover.

‘But with Moeen [Ali] bowling well in good conditions – we go to Delhi [next] which has been turning – we think the balance of the side has been right.

‘And look, we’re second on the table, so it’s not our style to chop and change just because we’ve had a loss where things didn’t go our way. We won’t do that. We might tinker with it but we’re very focused on getting the right team for Delhi.’

England’s selectors will meet in the coming days to name a squad for the upcoming Ireland Test, but one player who will not be involved is Jofra Archer.

The 28-year-old, who helped England win the World Cup in 2019, has been struggling with a long-term elbow injury and made just five appearances for Mumbai Indians this year, taking two wickets.

England are aiming to win back the Ashes this summer following a heavy 4-0 defeat in Australia in the last series.

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