James Anderson does not know if he has reached his peak yet, with England's record wicket-taker talking up the possibility of playing beyond his 40th birthday.

The 37-year-old has taken 584 Test wickets and has a further 269 to his name in one-day cricket, making him the most prolific bowler for his country in both formats.

But despite his advancing age and recent injury issues, Anderson believes his best cricket may still be ahead of him. 

He told Sky Sports on Sunday: "There's always going to be that element of, ‘Well he's 37'. There's a stigma for some reason around sportsmen getting to a certain age with a, 'Well, it's about time he moved on' sort of thing. For me, I genuinely don't know if I've peaked yet as a bowler.

"For me, in my head, why does 37 have to be towards the end? Cooky [Alastair Cook] said he's not going to be playing when he's 45 – probably not, but I've seen bowlers go into their 40s. It's not impossible."

Anderson's latest fitness setback came when he sustained a broken rib during the second Test against South Africa in early January.

The Lancashire paceman recently outlined his goal to return for the tour of Sri Lanka, which starts in March. 

"I've been training for a few weeks now, getting my bowling back up to speed. I feel really good," he told Sky Sports on Friday.

"The aim for me is to get fit for whatever is next and, at the moment, that is Sri Lanka."