England trained without James Anderson on Tuesday as their record Test wicket-taker was ruled out of the upcoming one-off Test match against Ireland at Lord’s.
The fast bowler is still recovering from a calf injury sustained in a English county match on July 2 and faces a race against time to be fit for the first Ashes Test, which starts at Edgbaston on August 1.
The four-day match against Ireland begins on Wednesday and is the last chance the England Test side have to warm up for the five-match series against Australia.
The game comes 10 days after England’s one-day side lifted the World Cup trophy, also at Lord’s, after a dramatic super-over victory over New Zealand.
It will be the first time Ireland have faced England in a Test, having only been granted Test status by the International Cricket Council in 2017.