James Anderson has been ruled out of the second Ashes Test, with England not certain when he will be fit to return from his calf injury.
England’s record wicket-taker broke down after just four overs in the series opener at Edgbaston and did not bowl again as Australia romped to a 251-run victory.
Scans have now confirmed he has no chance of taking part in next week’s game at Lord’s, with assessment taking place “on an ongoing basis” regarding his comeback.
A debut for Jofra Archer, one of the stars of England’s World Cup-winning campaign, could lessen the blow but he must first prove his own fitness for the rigours of Test cricket.
He was carrying a side strain throughout the tournament and has been sent to play for Sussex 2nd XI over the next three days to get long spells with the red ball under his belt.
England captain Joe Root denied England has gambled on Anderson’s fitness in the first place and is confident Archer will not represent a gamble if he gets through the required workload this week.
“Jimmy passed every medical testing. He was fit to play. It’s one of those freak scenarios where he pulled up,” said Root.
“It’s an easy thing to look back on and say we’d have done things differently. It was a unanimous decision for him to play.
“With Jofra, we’re in a slightly different situation where he’ll have played a lot of cricket in between and we’ll have a clearer idea of where he’s at. We’ll turn up to Lord’s and make sure in the next few days we don’t make any shotgun decisions.”
