James Anderson will miss the opening Test of the Ashes 2021, scheduled from 8 December in Brisbane. The England team management wants him to be fresh for the day-night Test in Adelaide.
'Jimmy is fit to play, and is not carrying an injury. With five Tests in six weeks the plan was to get him ready for the second Test in Adelaide,' an ECB statement said.
Considering his age, Anderson was unlikely to play five Test matches in just six weeks. In the 2019 Ashes, he bowled only four overs in the first Test before a calf injury ruled him out for the entire series.
Further, Anderson boasts a much better record in Adelaide. At Gabba, he has only managed seven wickets in four games. The pace and bounce of the Gabba pitch is likelier to suit Mark Wood, who is set to play his first Ashes Test away from home on Wednesday.
If Ben Stokes is fit enough to bowl, it would give England a chance to accommodate off-spinner Jack Leach in the playing XI. If this happens, one of Wood, Chris Woakes, Ollie Robinson, and Stuart Broad, will have to warm the bench.