Injury-stricken James Anderson admits broken rib was "worst pain I've ever been in on a cricket field"

The England seamer is optimistic over his recovery and is not ruling himself out of being fit in time to face Sri Lanka in March

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James Anderson has revealed the broken rib which forced him out of England's Test series in South Africa caused him the worst pain he's suffered on a cricket field.

A cracked bone forced the 37-year-old out of the tour after he bowled just nine overs on the final day of the second Test at Cape Town.

After an opening six-over spell and six further deliveries before lunch, Anderson spent time off the field before taking the ball after tea, as England desperately searched for wickets to win the match.

But after just two further overs Anderson pulled up again, with scans later revealing the extent of the injury.

Despite being unable to explain how the injury, which would generally be associated with an impact rather than overexertion, the Lancashire seamer is confident of a quick recovery and is even targetting the Sri Lanka series in March for a return.

"We needed some wickets and Joe said 'could you bowl?'," he told the BBC's Tailenders podcast. "I bowled two overs and I was in the worst pain I've ever been in I think on a cricket field. I couldn't pull through properly and it was hurt every time I bowled. I knew there was something not right.

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"I went for a scan the next day, the day after the game and got the results that afternoon and got told I was going home basically.

"When I was bowling those overs after tea I said to Stuart Broad 'I think there is something really wrong here'. I thought I'd ripped a muscle off the rib or something or tore something badly but actually a broken rib in the grand scheme of things isn't the worst outcome.

"A tore muscle could be anywhere from two-to-four months. A broken rib will hopefully be healed in three or four weeks.

"When they got the scan results back the first question the physio asked me was 'have you been hit this week? Did you get hit in the net before the game? Have you landed on it when you were fielding?' I'd remember if I'd been hit.

"They think it is through the constant force of me bowling. The muscles were strong enough to put up with that but the bone wasn't strong enough. Somewhere has to take the impact of me bowling. It isn't a stress fracture it looks like it has cracked.

"Once the bone has healed it will be a case of getting straight back into it, so it might be three weeks before the bone has healed properly. I'm not being fit for selection for the Sri Lanka trip."