‘I’m done in the Ashes if…': James Anderson's bombshell for England captain Ben Stokes on 'Kryptonite' pitches

Anderson said he tried his best to achieve the desired results in Edgbaston but the pitch was so unresponsive for that all his efforts went in vain.

Legendary England fast bowler James Anderson launched a scathing attack on the Edgbaston pitch after Australia registered a thrilling two-wicket victory over the hosts in the first Ashes Test. Slamming the pitch for being unresponsive for pacers, Anderson even went to the extent of saying that his Ashes career might be over if similar tracks are dished out in the remaining four Tests. "If all the pitches are like that I'm done in the Ashes series," he wrote in his Daily Telegraph column. "That pitch was like kryptonite for me. There was not much swing, no reverse swing, no seam movement, no bounce and no pace,” he wrote.

England's James Anderson reacts with Stuart Broad (Action Images via Reuters)

The 40-year-old right-arm seamer who is only 14 away from becoming the first-ever fast bowler to claim 700 Test wickets, was not at his best in the Ashes opener. He picked up just 1 wicket after toiling hard for 38 overs (both innings combined) in the entire Test match.

“I know I wasn’t on top of my game this week. It was not my best performance," Anderson added. The legendary cricketer was surprisingly not given the ball in the intense last hour of the first Test when Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon were battling it out in the middle. England captain bowled himself and Joe Root with the old ball before using Stuart Broad and Ollie Robinson with the new ball in the last few overs of Day 5.

“I didn’t take the new ball in the first innings or late on the final day. I had a chat with Ben Stokes about how I felt. We agreed it was the type of pitch the taller bowlers were getting more out of. I was completely on board with that," Anderson wrote.

England's all-time highest wicket-taker said he tried his best to achieve the desired results in Edgbaston but the pitch was so unresponsive for swing bowling that all his efforts went in vain.

'You can't take wickets every game': Anderson

“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," he said.

Interestingly, Stokes made it clear at the beginning of the Ashes that he wants batting-friendly pitches throughout the series so that his batters can continue playing aggressive cricket.

Anderson, however, vowed to make a comeback in the upcoming matches and contribute to the team's success.

“It’s a long series and hopefully I can contribute at some point. 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,” he wrote.