Jimmy Anderson is set to be ruled out of England’s tour of Bangladesh due to the shoulder injury that dogged his summer and he is now a major doubt to be ready for start of the Test series against India that follows in November.
Anderson, 34, has not played since the fourth Test against Pakistan in August in order to help him recover from a stress fracture to his right shoulder blade. That was discovered in July and caused a selection row before the first Test against Pakistan.
It is understood that scans this week have shown that a longer break is now required in order to complete the healing process, with the two-Test series against Bangladesh that starts in Chittagong on 20 October coming too soon.
Jake Ball, the Nottinghamshire seamer, will provide cover for Anderson after being asked to stay on after the one-day leg of the tour. England, who will be captained by Jos Buttler after Eoin Morgan pulled out for security reasons, depart for Dhaka on Thursday.
Anderson was not expected to play both Tests against Bangladesh with England intending to rotate their seam bowlers. But the delay to his recovery causes a problem before the five-Test series with India, given there are no warmup fixtures scheduled in between. It means England’s record wicket-taker, even if passed fit for the first Test in Rajkot on 9 November, would not have not bowled competitively for three months.
Only last week he voiced concerns over the gruelling winter schedule with England playing seven Tests against Bangladesh and India in the space of two months. “It’s a tough one because as a player, if you’re fit, you want to play, simple as that. No matter what the format, you’re desperate to play.
“But there may well come a time when it will get managed. At 34, I probably have to manage myself, or be managed, quite well. You want, if possible, to play every Test but India is going to be five back-to-back and that’s a huge ask for any bowler.”
Unless match practice can be arranged, an undercooked Anderson would be a concern for the captain Alastair Cook and the head coach, Trevor Bayliss, as they look to beat an India side that has not lost a Test at home since the 2-1 series defeat to England in 2012.
England delayed the naming of their centrally contracted players for the next 12 months until Thursday, with a new set of deals for one-day players also set to be announced.
