James Anderson wants to be completely fit before the Ashes

James Anderson, England’s pace spearhead, is hopeful of his body withstanding the busy schedule of the Test summer before shifting his attention to the England’s defence of the Ashes later this year in Australia. Anderson is recovering from a shoulder injury, and is at present preparing for the county season with Lancashire. He is ruled out of international cricket until the first of the four Tests series against South Africa beginning at Lord’s on July 6.

After the series against South Africa, England will host West Indies in a three-match series to end the summer season in September. ‘The tests are a long way away,’ Anderson, England’s all-time leading wicket-taker with the white ball, having accounted for 467 wickets, said.

“I’ll manage the first part of the season with Lancashire to see how my shoulder pulls up and how my fitness goes, and if I’m fit then I definitely will try to play all seven (tests). I’ll manage the first bit, so I get enough cricket in so I am ready for that test series but not so much that I turn up tired.” Anderson added.

The 34-year-old is determined to cement his place in England’s tour of Australia but has refused to look too far into the future. “The Ashes is a very important part of this year for the English cricket team and I’ll have to focus on that closer to the time,” he added. “I’m focused on staying fit… and I need to show the selectors that I’m still eager and hungry.”

The Ashes is cricket’s most intense rivalry, but this time around, Australia looks to have an upper hand over England. This can be concluded from England and Australia’s recent tours to India, where the Kangaroos put up a competitive show, but England succumbed to a shameful whitewash. But there’s still a long time to go for the Ashes.