James Anderson feels he has let team down with his injury, reveals Stuart Broad

James Anderson has been in fine form of late, having taken 30 wickets in his last-six county matches at an average of below 10. England’s leading wicket-taker in Tests with nearly six hundred scalps, with more than a hundred of those coming against archrivals Australia, he was always one of the key men pegged to play an important role in the ongoing Ashes.

However, his selection had been id doubt when a month ago he tore his right calf muscle when playing for Lancashire but the bowler had recovered well enough according to the management. He was seen bowling without showing any signs of concern in an optional net session on Monday, even though it had to be cut short due to bad weather which kept him for training outdoors properly until the start of the match.

As luck would have it, after a fierce opening spell that saw him trouble the batsmen by swinging the ball away from the batsman in his typical fashion, he felt some pain in his leg. He was taken off the field and though he returned to the field, he did not bowl again and is unlikely to do so in the second innings either.

"He's a bit distraught. He came and said sorry to the bowlers. He feels like he's let the bowling group down, which of course he hasn't. He's down and he's frustrated," Stuart Broad was reported saying by ESPNCricinfo.

Having turned 37 less than a week ago, Anderson’s injury means the onus is now on the rest of the bowlers to perform. The burden has increased significantly on Broad, Chris Woakes, and Ben Stokes apart from off-spinner Moeen Ali. With Jofra Archer and Mark Wood available in the squad, Anderson’s selection, when not completely fit, will certainly raise some questions.

However, those two are not without injury concerns either, with Wood having suffered a side strain during the World Cup final whereas Archer is also recovering from an injury. But by the time Anderson is likely to return, just before the fifth match, it might prove to be too late for him considering the management is unlikely to straight away put into the action. Hence, the injury might mean it is curtains for him at the present Ashes, and possibly even any future Ashes series.