Anderson was unusually quiet during England's defeat by Australia at Edgbaston, claiming one wicket in the match and watching on in the field as his teammates got through the bulk of the work during the visitors' dramatic fourth-innings chase
James Anderson accepts he was not at the peak of his powers during the first Ashes Test but has pleaded with groundstaff: "If all the pitches are like that I'm done in the Ashes series".
Anderson was unusually quiet during England's defeat by Australia at Edgbaston, claiming one wicket in the match and watching on in the field as his teammates got through the bulk of the work during the latter stages of the visitors' dramatic fourth-innings chase.
The 40-year-old may well be rotated in and out of the XI over the course of the five-match series, which is stuffed into 46 days, but he has voiced his concerns that his skillset might be rendered redundant if the curators at Lord's, Old Trafford, Headingley and The Oval go for similar surfaces to the one which greeted him in Birmingham.
"That pitch was like kryptonite for me," he wrote in his Telegraph column.
James Anderson took 1-109 at Edgbaston [Getty Images]
"There was not much swing, no reverse swing, no seam movement, no bounce and no pace. I’ve tried over the years to hone my skills so I can bowl in any conditions but everything I tried made no difference. I felt like I was fighting an uphill battle.
"There was a bit of rustiness but I gave it everything I could. Having played for a long time, I realise you can’t take wickets every game. Sometimes it is not your week. It felt like that for me.
"It’s a long series and hopefully I can contribute at some point, but if all the pitches are like that I’m done in the Ashes series.
"I want to make up for it at Lord's and all I can do is turn up on Sunday and prepare to play"
Despite his issues with the pitch, Anderson conceded that he was below-par at Edgbaston.
He returned match figures of 1-109 from 38 overs, did not take the new ball in Australia's first innings and was used sparingly by Ben Stokes on the final day.
"I know I wasn’t on top of my game this week," he wrote. "It was not my best performance.
Anderson described the first-Test pitch as "kryptonite" [Getty Images]
"I know I have more to offer and contribute to the team. I want to make up for it at Lord's and all I can do is turn up on Sunday and prepare to play."
Anderson will hope to keep his place, with the likes of Mark Wood and Chris Woakes competing for a start at the home of cricket.
England could choose to go into the game with an all-seam attack if Moeen Ali is not fit to feature. Moeen sustained a horrible blister on his right index finger at Edgbaston, and Joe Root was the preferred spinner during Australia's run chase. Reham Ahmed of Leicestershire has been called into the squad as cover ahead of the second Test.
Stuart Broad and Ollie Robinson, both of whom were effective at times in the first Test, will likely keep their spots.
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