Despite benching the speed bowlers for this week's Test against Ireland, England head coach Brendon McCullum anticipates that James Anderson and Ollie Robinson will be ready for the Ashes match against Australia. While serving in Lancashire, Anderson suffered from a groin strain, and earlier this month, Robinson was injured while playing for Sussex. The two will sit out of England's four-day encounter against Ireland at Lord's that comes before the first Ashes Test.
The opening game of the five-game series against Australia will take place in Birmingham on June 16, and McCullum is optimistic that Anderson and Robinson will be able to make it back in time. Stuart Broad will captain the bowling attack against Ireland as Anderson and Robinson are ineligible, while a final determination regarding Mark Wood's fitness will need to be made after an evaluation of his condition.