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The England Cricket Board (ECB) offered an update on veteran fast bowler James Anderson's fitness on May 15 (Monday). The Three Lions' cricket board confirmed that Anderson 'sustained a mild strain to his right groin' and his fitness will be re-evaluated ahead of the one-off Test match against Ireland, which is scheduled to begin on June 1 at Lord's. England's most successful bowler of all time suffered the injury during Lancashire's County Championship Division One match against Somerset and has since remained sidelined.
"Lancashire and England seamer James Anderson has sustained a mild strain to his right groin during Lancashire’s LV= Insurance County Championship Division One match against Somerset at Emirates Old Trafford," England Cricket said in an official statement.
"Anderson suffered the injury on day one on Thursday whilst bowling and stayed off the field for the remainder of the match, which ended in a draw today.
"His fitness will be assessed nearer the time of the LV= Insurance Test match against Ireland, which takes place at Lord’s starting on Thursday 1 June 2023," the statement concluded.
The injury to Anderson comes as a big blow to England as they are already grappling with Jofra Archer's fitness. Archer left the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) midway and returned back to England.
Anderson, who is the No.2 ranked Test bowler in the world and has bagged 685 wickets in international red-ball cricket, is a vital cog in England's playing XI. His partnership with Stuart Broad has propelled England's Test team to greater heights in recent times.
There is some optimism for England fans as Lancashire head coach Glen Chapple said that Anderson's injury is not too serious.
"Jimmy bowled really well in the first innings. He's just irritated his groin. I don't think it's anything too serious. We should be positive about his recovery, but obviously he had done it badly enough not to take any part in the game today. It just seems like a tweaked groin to me," he said.
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