Stuart Broad revealed a “distraught” James Anderson apologised to his England team-mates after pulling up injured on the first morning of the Ashes.

Anderson managed just four overs on day one of the hotly-anticipated series against Australia before experiencing tightness in his right calf and did not return to the field after being sent for a scan during the lunch break.

Without their record wicket-taker England still managed to dismiss the tourists for 284 at Edgbaston, Broad taking over as sole figurehead to claim five for 86.

At one stage, with Australia 122 for eight, it looked like the 37-year-old would not even be missed but Steve Smith’s brilliant, backs-to-the-wall 144 guided his side back from the brink.

“He is down, he’s frustrated…he actually came and said sorry to all the bowlers, not that he’s got anything to be sorry for,” Broad said of his long-time partner.

“He is distraught he couldn’t be out there today. He feels like he’s let the bowling group down but he hasn’t. Niggles are a part of fast bowling, but he’s down in the dumps as you’d expect.”

“Rooty came to us at lunch and said Jimmy wasn’t going to bowl again today, that he might ask quite a lot of us today. He said ‘put everything on the line today and we’ll reassess tomorrow’.

“When your captain asks you that sort of thing…it’s Ashes cricket…you want the ball, every ball. I’m pretty exhausted, I’d forgotten how nerve-wracking and tense Ashes cricket is, but after losing the toss and bowling you’d take bowling a team out for less than 300 every day of the week.”

England resume on 10 without loss, Jason Roy and Rory Burns having safely negotiated two awkward overs before stumps.