James Anderson has been ruled out of the second Ashes Test, with England uncertain about his ability to return after injuring his right calf. The analysis confirmed that he had no chance of taking part in next week's match at Lord's, the second match of the five-match series, with a "continued" rating. Anderson's absence is a blow to England, whose defeat in Birmingham came just three weeks after winning the World Cup. After injuring himself on the first morning in Birmingham, the 37-year-old Anderson was limited to two cameos batting in 11th place.
The veteran, who took 575 Test wickets, had not played competitive cricket in a month before the match after injuring his calf in Lancashire.
"The MRI has confirmed that Anderson has suffered a calf injury," a statement from the Cricket Commission of England and Wales said on Tuesday. "Due to his injury, he will begin a rehabilitation program in collaboration with the medical teams of England and Lancashire. Anderson will miss the second practice match, which starts at Lord's on Wednesday, August 14. It will be reassessed on an ongoing basis."
Former England captain Michael Vaughan does not expect to see Anderson again until the fourth Test at the earliest and has warned that his absence could have a significant impact in both dressing rooms.
"I'm afraid you're not undertaking Jimmy Anderson's psychological effects on the English team, but also the positive effects it has on the Australian team," he said. "For them to arrive next week and the following week, they will not face Jimmy ... it's monstrous."
Jofra Archer, one of the protagonists of the World Cup 2019 campaign in England, could well mitigate the shock, but he must first prove that he is fit for the five-day match. England captain Joe Root has no regrets about including Anderson in the Edgbaston match, saying he had passed all the medical tests.
"It's one of those abnormal scenarios that he ended up in - because it's the same calf, we don't know if it's a slightly different injury," Root said. "Jimmy in these conditions, if he has 15 more bowls, things could have been very different in the first rounds in general."
"With Jofra, we are in a slightly different situation where he will have played a lot of cricket in between and we will have a clearer idea of his position," he said. "We will go to Lord's and make sure that we do not make any decisions about firearms in the coming days."
England's defeat at Edgbaston means they will face a tough battle to fight back the Ashes from Australia, who have not won a Test series in England since 2001.
