"He will play a big role this summer" - Stuart Broad on James Anderson

Veteran England seamer Stuart Broad expects James Anderson to play a massive role in this year's Ashes series. However, the 36-year-old admits that Anderson must get fully fit to get the best out of himself.

Anderson left the field due to a mild groin strain during Lancashire's County Championship game last week. While the 40-year-old is likely to miss the one-off Test against Ireland, he's optimistic of regaining fitness for the Ashes, which begins on June 16.

In his column for the Daily Mail, Broad said that Anderson's repeated setback due to groin strain is annoying rather than devastating. The Nottinghamshire bowler added that the team will need Mark Wood, as his pace is more than a handful on certain tracks.

"Jimmy’s setback with his groin is annoying rather than devastating. A headache rather than a migraine, I would suggest. And he will play a big role this summer. First and foremost, he has to get 100% right to be able to get as much out of himself as possible. In the circumstances, let's hope Mark Wood stays fit and fresh because on certain pitches, pace is vital."

Anderson, who recently topped the ICC Test bowling rankings, has a decent record against Australia in the format. The right-arm seamer has bagged 112 wickets in 35 games at an average of 33.76.

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"The biggest challenge for me has been making sure I stay in the present" - Stuart Broad

Stuart Broad (Image Credits: Getty)

Broad, one of the fittest players going around, said that he wants to stay in the present and doesn't want to get carried away too much by the future:

"From my perspective, I feel like four matches is a good amount of cricket to enable me to find the rhythm that I need heading into the international summer.

"The biggest challenge for me has been making sure I stay in the present and look to deliver one game at a time instead of looking to the future, and that's hard when an Ashes series is dangling over you and you can get drawn into what you are looking to across the whole season."

England will start their summer with a one-off Test against Ireland on June 16 at Lord's.