A groin injury sustained by England bowler James Anderson is not “too serious”, Lancashire head coach Glen Chapple has said.
Anderson, 40, left the pitch on the first day of Lancashire’s game against Somerset on Thursday and did not take part in the game again. ended in a draw on Sunday.
“It looks like a twisted groin,” Chapple told BBC Radio Lancashire.
“I don’t think it’s anything too serious. We should be positive about his recovery.”
Chapple added that any potential analysis of Anderson was the business of England, who did not comment on the injury.
England will soon name a squad for the Test against Ireland at Lord’s, which starts on June 1. The series of five Test Ashes begins on June 16.
Anderson, England’s all-time leading wicket-taker, has been plagued by injuries in each of the Ashes’ last two home series.
He only managed four overs before suffering a calf problem in the first Test of the 2019 series, which was drawn 2-2.
In 2015, he suffered a side strain in the Third Test as England won 3-2.
Any long-term issues for Anderson would add to a growing list of injuries in England’s fast bowling department.
Captain Ben Stokes has previously spoken of his desire to have eight fast bowlers available for each Ashes Test, but in recent weeks injuries have plagued Jofra Archer, Olly Stone and Brydon Carse.
Archer returned home from the Indian Premier League with a recurrence of his long-term elbow problem, Stone suffered a hamstring injury while playing for Nottinghamshire and the uncapped Carse suffered a lateral injury while playing for Durham .
Additionally, Jamie Overton is only in the early stages of his return from a stress fracture in his back.
Yet of this quartet, only Overton played for England in their 10-of-12 winning streak under captain Stokes and manager Brendon McCullum.
First-choice pair Ollie Robinson and Stuart Broad missed the final round of County Championship games for Sussex and Nottinghamshire respectively, while Mark Wood misses the final stages of the IPL to be at the birth of his second child.
The reinforcement could come from Matthew Potts, who has been in fine form for Durham, and Saqib Mahmood after recovering from a long back injury.
England could also call on the experience of Chris Woakes and Sam Curran, jacks-of-all-trades who are doing well in home testing.
