Anderson, England's all-time leading wicket-taker, will retire after the West Indies Lord's Test, leaving a void in the bowling attack for the remainder of the summer and beyond
Jamie Overton faces another sustained spell on the sidelines after suffering another stress fracture in his back.
After missing the start of the 2023 season and being ruled out of the Ashes, the 30-year-old played most of last summer as an outright batter for Surrey. He returned to bowling towards the end of the campaign including as Manchester Originals reached the men's Hundred final.
After a winter on the franchise circuit, the former Somerset all-rounder played in the opening two County Championship rounds but felt discomfort in his back after the home draw with his former side.
Scans proved inconclusive and a decision on his fitness was put back a fortnight. He was subsequently omitted from England's T20 World Cup squad which managing director Rob Key stated he was "desperately unlucky" to miss out on.
Related: For plenty of English cricket fans, there has been no such thing as life without James Anderson
England are preparing for life after James Anderson (SAJJAD HUSSAIN/AFP via Getty Images)
It has now come to light that Overton has suffered another stress fracture which threatens his entire summer.
"We can confirm that Jamie Overton has suffered a stress fracture of the lower back," a Surrey spokesperson told ESPNCricinfo.
"There is currently no timeline for his return but he will continue his recovery under the guidance of the Surrey medical department."
The news is an additional complication for Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes who are using this summer to move on from all-time leading wicket-taker James Anderson.
Related: From McCartney in Red Square... How the world has changed during James Anderson's Test career
Jofra Archer and Josh Tongue are unavailable to England this summer (DAN MULLAN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
The 41-year-old will get a swansong during the West Indies Lord's Test, after which the supporting cast will be asked to step into the breach.
Mark Wood, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Matthew Potts, Ollie Robinson and Chris Woakes are the fully contract seamers available. Jofra Archer, on his return from an elbow injury, and Josh Tongue, who is struggling with a pectoral issue, are out of contention.
Meanwhile, Matthew Fisher and John Turner both have development contracts but have each had fitness challenges this summer. Also on that list is Lancashire's Saqib Mahmood, who is in the early stages of his return from a stress fracture of his own.
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