James Anderson suffered a "slight strain in his right groin" just a month before the Ashes started, the England and Wales Cricket Board announced late on Sunday.

We're less than five weeks away from the Ashes, but England are already sweating through a series of injury concerns in their weakened bowling cartel.

Earlier this year, England captain Ben Stokes said he wanted an eight-man pace squad ready for Ashes' campaign this winter, but the host country could run out of resources when the first Test begins next month.

James Anderson suffered "a slight strain in his right groin" just a month before the Ashes started, the England and Wales Cricket Board announced late on Sunday.

The 40-year-old Anderson, the all-time winning fast bowler in Test history with 685 wickets, suffered the injury on Thursday, the opening day of the Lancashire County Championship game against Somerset at Old Trafford, and was absent from a game that ended in a tie on Sunday. The ECB added that Anderson's fitness will be assessed closer to the timing of the only Test against Ireland at Lord's, which begins on June 1st.

The ECB added that Anderson's fitness will be assessed closer to the timing of the only Test against Ireland at Lord's, which begins on June 1.

England are expected to name a squad for the Ireland game ahead of a five-game Ashes series against arch-rivals Australia which begins on June 16 later this week.

Anderson's recent injury adds to a growing list of fitness issues afflicting English fast bowlers. Jofra Archer, Olly Stone and Brydon Carse have all been sidelined in recent weeks.

Archer returned from the Indian Premier League with a recurrence of long-standing elbow problems, Stone suffered a hamstring injury with Nottinghamshire and Carse, who had not yet played a friendly, was devastated at Durham with a side injury.