Follow UsJames Anderson endured a dismal outing in the first two Ashes Tests as the veteran seamer scalped only three wickets across four innings in England's defeat at Edgbaston and Lord's.
The 40-year-old has struggled to find his rhythm after returning from a groin injury that kept him out of the one-off Test against Ireland in the first week of June.
The right-arm seamer termed the pitch in Birmingham as kryptonite after the first Test but stated that he would refrain from criticising the wicket again in the ongoing series.
In his column for The Telegraph, he said, "You want to contribute in the big series, and I cannot remember having two such quiet games in a row for at least the past 10 years."
"I feel like I have always contributed at some stage. But I do not think I am bowling particularly badly; I am just going through a lean patch, which you do not want to happen in an Ashes. I am saying lean patch, but it is only two games out of 181."
"I am not going to criticise the pitch again. They have not suited me so far, but I have found ways of getting wickets in the past on flat pitches. At the moment, I am just not finding that knack."
"However, when you see the best bowlers in the world slamming it into the middle of the pitch, it is not great viewing. If you asked all the bowlers on show at Lord's, they will say they want to try other skills as well."
"I have spent 20 years pitching the ball up, trying to swing it and move it off the deck, and when you do not get anything doing that, it is frustrating. I just have to keep working on my game, chat to the coaches and see if there is something more I can be doing," he further added.
While the veteran seamer will most likely be rested for the third Test in Leeds starting July 6, there have been speculations if he has played his last game in the series.
Despite his lean run and question marks revolving around his future at the international level, Anderson is adamant about getting back to his best and performing for the team in their bid to win the Ashes.
"It comes with the territory at my age for people to speculate about my future. But I understand. It is a high-profile series, and you get put under the spotlight a bit more, and the easy target is to say he is getting on a bit. But the reason I have not taken wickets is not because of my age."
"I am not thinking about the future. The future for me is just thinking about Thursday and the start of the next Test. That is as far ahead as I will look. If I get the nod, I will put in a performance the team need. If not, I will keep working hard and play a role at some stage across the series," he concluded.