James Anderson had to leave the field with a suspect groin injury on the first morning of the Roses match between Lancashire and Yorkshire at Old Trafford.
Anderson collapsed to the ground in pain while bowling in the Roses match against Yorkshire at Old Trafford and left the field immediately for treatment. He did not return and is due to have a scan on Saturday morning to assess the damage.
Anderson pulled up during his approach to the crease and immediately fell to the turf, holding his groin. Anderson left the field for treatment and his over was finished by all-rounder Ryan McLaren. Anderson had already made an impact in the short time he was on the field, taking a catch in the slips to remove Adam Lyth for a duck and then bowling Alex Lees, as the hosts lost a pair of early wickets.
It is Anderson’s fourth injury in two years and it comes as he is trying to regain his place in the England side after missing the final Test against India in December. The 34-year-old has missed eight of England’s last 23 Test matches and did not play a full part in England’s winter tours because of shoulder issues which also affected him last summer against Pakistan.
The 34-year-old has been bowling well for Lancashire this summer and had hoped to use the first half of the season to prove he can last the distance without suffering injury. The first Test is seven weeks away so there is plenty of time for him to recover but England faces an arduous second half of the season with seven Tests in nine weeks. Anderson has not talked about retirement and his big ambition is to go on a fourth Ashes tour later this year.
Anderson would go through a scan Monday (22nd may). The injury is not that bad as feared earlier.
With 467 Test wickets to his name, Anderson remains one of England’s first choice bowlers in Test cricket. In 2016, he took 41 wickets at 23.73 in 12 Tests which shows his worth.
While Anderson is no longer part of England’s one-day set-up and is not in the squad for either the upcoming series with South Africa or the Champions Trophy, he remains a key player in the Test team.
Stuart Broad, Chris Woakes and Mark Wood (if fit) could form the first-choice seam attack this summer, with Ben Stokes as support, so Anderson has to stay fit to prove to new captain Joe Root that he should start the series against South Africa in July.
With four Tests against South Africa starting in early July and then three against the West Indians later in the summer, Anderson is hoping to snare 33 more wickets to take him to 500 careers dismissals before the season is out but now must wait for the result of a scan to determine the severity of his injury.