England seamer James Anderson insists he is rested and ready to go again in another Ashes battle.

Burnley’s pace ace played a key role in helping Alastair Cook’s side retain the miniature urn on home soil this summer, taking 22 wickets in the series including 10 in a thrilling first Test at Trent Bridge.

The national selectors opted to rest the Burnley bowler for the one-dayers that followed, giving him the chance to take a holiday with his family and “generally just stay away from cricket for a bit”.

“It was a really close-fought series, even if the final scoreline says 3-0,” he said. “The games themselves were very close and it was tough, both physically and mentally, as it always is.

“With the away series being so soon, it was good to get a break.

“It is frustrating missing cricket, especially when you’re fully fit. But, seeing the bigger picture and with an important series coming up, it was probably the right thing to do.

“I still kept in touch with the one-day series and tried to watch as much as I could.”

Now, refreshed ahead of the return series Down Under, Anderson is looking forward to making his third Ashes tour of duty and England could make history if they record a fourth successive series win over their oldest rivals, something that has not happened in the past 123 years.