Mark Ramprakash warns of "very tough" comeback for James Anderson

Anderson will miss the remainder of the South Africa Test series after England's all-time Test wicket-taker was forced out with a left rib injury

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Mark Ramprakash believes that it will be “very tough” for James Anderson to make another return to Test cricket after the 37-year-old was ruled out of the remainder of the series against South Africa with an injury to his left rib.

Anderson had taken five wickets in the first innings of England’s win in Cape Town but bowled just one over in the afternoon session on the final day, spending some time off the field. He returned to bowl a short spell after the tea interval but was visibly uncomfortable.

This latest injury follows a calf problem that reared its head on the first morning of the Ashes series at Edgbaston in August, which forced the leading wicket-taker in Test history to miss England’s tour of New Zealand.

“It's not only disappointing that he's injured but it's also a serious injury for a fast bowler, not something to be taken lightly,” Ramprakash warned.

“He's done terrifically well to play as long as he has, but you feel with the calf strain he had last summer and now this, it's going to be very tough for him to continue his England career.”

The seven wickets Anderson took at Newlands brought him within touching distance of yet another milestone.

Having overtaken Glenn McGrath as Test cricket’s most successful seamer against India in 2017 when he dismissed Mohammed Shami at The Oval, Anderson is now 16 wickets away from becoming the fourth bowler of all time to reach 600 Test wickets.

^{Anderson took five wickets in the first innings at Newlands as England recorded a historic victory}

Whether he is able to reach that figure, though, is now in doubt. England travel to Sri Lanka in March for a two-Test series; when they last toured the country in 2018, Anderson took just one wicket in 41 overs as England won 3-0.

While he was the most economical of England’s bowlers and more than did his job, it seems unlikely that England would risk him on such placid surfaces, whether or not he is fit to play.

England then face both West Indies and Pakistan during a six-Test summer, by the end of which Anderson will be 38 years of age.

“I guess it comes down to motivation, it comes down to that attitude and desire to do the training, and fast bowling is a very physical job,” Ramprakash added to Sky Sports. “He worked incredibly hard to get back to full fitness.

“We saw how well he bowled at Cape Town, he'd regained that high standard of bowling we've become used to. So that's going to hurt England.

“He'll be a huge miss to the team and in particular to the captain, Joe Root, because he knows he's got a real trump card there.”