Calcutta: Fast-bowling takes a serious toll on a player's body in cricket. To what extent? As James Anderson has written in his column for the Daily Telegraph, at times his shoulder hurts while brushing his teeth in the morning.

England take on Australia in the fifth and final Ashes Test of the ongoing series beginning Thursday.

England spearhead Anderson, in his column, has spoken about he has to keep his body ready for the rigours of international cricket.

"There will be stiffness in the body after bowling 59 overs in Melbourne. It is harder in Australia because you are on a flight the day after the game finishes. It was only a short one here (Sydney) from Melbourne, but getting out of the seat at the other end was a bit tricky.

"Mainly it is just about managing my shoulder. Bowling actually loosens it up. It is getting a balance between bowling enough to loosen it but not too much to cause a problem.

"It can affect me in normal life. Sometimes it hurts brushing my teeth or putting on a T-shirt in the morning, or anything else that gets me into an awkward position. It is just about working with the physio and doing exercises with a rubber band to keep the joint loose and the muscles around the shoulder strong," Anderson wrote.

Anderson has stressed on the fact that bowlers must understand their bodies.

"Instinctively I know the difference between general pain from bowling, and pain caused by a specific a problem. At the start of my career, I would not say anything if I had a niggle because I didn't want to miss a game which meant that I tried to play through the pain most of the time. Potentially that makes things worse. Now I can pick out when there is something serious or just regular cricket aches and pains.

"It is a skill in itself for a bowler to figure out their own bodies. You get some people who go to the physio for every little thing. You have to work that out yourself. On bowling days I will take ibuprofen. I try and stay away from them at other times, which does not always happen. The doctors are good at putting your welfare first, and are always on the cautious side with medication and injuries. You put your trust in them."

Managing fast bowlers well early in their careers is extremely important, according to Anderson.

"It is hard work to bowl fast and the question when you see a young fast bowler for the first time is can they get through a full season of County cricket? I bowled 90mph in my first year of county cricket but did not play one day cricket. I only played 12 first-class games. Lancashire managed me pretty well and that is very important if we are going to produce young fast bowlers who can sustain a career over a period of time.

"When I played against Chris Woakes in County cricket a few years ago he was bowling low 80s and swinging it both ways. But once he got a central contract he became fitter, stronger and able to bowl a bit quicker. Maybe that was because his workload was managed more carefully and he could then throw himself into bowling that touch quicker. It is very difficult but it is something we need to solve if we are going to produce the quick bowlers we need to win in Australia down the years."

Anderson considers the Sydney Test to be his last in Australia.

"I know it is my last Test in Australia unless there is a random game organised here."