Follow UsEngland's all-time leading wicket-taker, James Anderson, has termed the surface at Edgbaston as kryptonite as he struggled to find his rhythm in the first Ashes Test last week.
The right-arm pacer returned to the playing XI after a groin injury and conceded 109 runs for a solitary wicket in England's nail-biting defeat.
In his column with the Telegraph, the 40-year-old backed Ben Stokes' decision not to give him the new ball on the first day and in the final hour on Day Five as they believed the wicket offered a bit of help to taller bowlers.
"That pitch was like kryptonite for me. 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," he said.
"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."
"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," he further added.
A couple of weeks before the series commenced, England skipper Stokes was vocal on the need for fast and flat wickets that would suit their aggressive style of play. However, Anderson feels he is done with the series if the wickets remain lifeless.
"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 know I wasn't on top of my game this week."
"It was not my best performance. 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 concluded.
The second Ashes Test begins on Wednesday, June 28, at Lord's Cricket Ground in London.