James Anderson's South Africa tour is over due to a rib injury that prevented him from bowling at the end of the Cape Town Test.
In a fresh blow to the 37-year-old record-breaker, who only recently returned from a calf injury, Anderson will head back to the UK to begin yet more rehab instead of moving on to Port Elizabeth with the rest of the squad.
Anderson is expected to be out of action for six to eight weeks which means he will also miss the two Test tour to Sri Lanka that follows with this bone-related injury.
As good as he is and, he proved it once more with his 28th five wicket haul in the first innings at Newlands, questions will now be asked about his durability for Test cricket at the twilight of his career.
Skipper Joe Root knows that both he and the Lancashire man are keen to squeeze every last drop out of him, but it appears that the days of being able to rely on him are rapidly coming to an end due to fitness rather than skill.
Anderson claimed 5-40 in England's 189-run win over South Africa, but it was only his second match back after suffering a recurrence of a calf injury in the opening Ashes Test in the summer.
After claiming another two wickets in the second innings, Anderson now sits on 584 Test scalps and would be strongly fancied to move past 600 during the three Test series against the West Indies in June if his body allows.
Somerset's Craig Overton who arrived as illness cover will now stay with the squad as Anderson's replacement, although both Jofra Archer and Mark Wood are in the frame to play in the next match starting on January 16th.
