Joe Root "confident" in James Anderson's Ashes fitness despite ruling seamer out of Ireland Test

The England captain confirmed that his omission would open the door for Olly Stone to make his Test debut; the Warwickshire fast bowler made his ODI bow over the winter during England’s series win in Sri Lanka

Joe Root has said he is "very confident" that James Anderson will be fit for the start of the Ashes on August 1, despite England's record wicket-taker missing out on his country's first Test clash with Ireland at Lord's.

Anderson, who took 30 County Championship wickets for Lancashire during the early stages of this season before suffering a low-grade calf tear while playing against Durham at Sedbergh, will continue to be assessed ahead of the start of the five-match series at Edgbaston.

Root, however, is confident that his trump card will be available come the first Test, with his ever-important presence taking on yet more significance with many of England’s fast-bowling options feeling the effects of a gruelling World Cup schedule.

Jofra Archer and Mark Wood are both nursing niggles, while Chris Woakes has long been playing through longstanding knee trouble and Sam Curran only recently returned to action following a minor hamstring complaint.

"Jimmy probably would have been able to get through this Test match, but we're just making sure that he's absolutely ready," Root said at Lord's on Tuesday.

"We thought the last thing we want is him carrying a niggle going into a series, so we tried to be sensible about it and give him as much time to be 100 percent going into that series – a five-match series. So we're very confident that he’ll be fit."

The England captain confirmed that his omission would open the door for Olly Stone to make his Test debut; the Warwickshire fast bowler made his ODI bow over the winter during England’s series win in Sri Lanka, though he was subsequently ruled out of the West Indies tour that followed with a back problem.

Root admitted he had been "very impressed" with his initial impression of both Stone and Lewis Gregory, the Somerset allrounder who is the second member of England’s 13-man squad – alongside Anderson – to miss out at Lord's.

^{James Anderson injured his calf while bowling for Lancashire at Sedbergh}

"For two guys that have not been around a Test side in England I thought they came in and put up very good cases for selection," he added. "They've performed well in the Championship.

"It's exactly what you want to see - guys coming in and impressing. It's great to see that depth there within English bowling.

"I think he's got good pace. That’s one thing that he brings to this group – an extra bit of pace, something different to turn to. It'll be a good opportunity to see him play this week."

Stone is one of two debutantes for England as they begin a busy Test schedule on the back of a first World Cup win. Stone is joined by Jason Roy, who will open the batting with Surrey teammate and former schoolmate Rory Burns.

Whereas Stone has returned from injury to propel himself to a Test call, Roy's selection comes on the back of a set of stirring white-ball displays during England's glorious campaign.

"With Jason I want him to just go out and be himself out there," Root said of his World Cup-winning teammate, who will become a Test colleague on Wednesday morning.

"I want him to express himself and just trust his instincts as much as possible. I think he's got very good instincts, he reads the game very well and he'll bring something different to our Test batting side, for sure.

"He's a very exciting prospect and a proven performer in international cricket so fully capable of going on and making big contributions at the top of the order."

Despite his success in the 50-over arena, Roy's call-up comes amid an element of caution. His first-class average of 38.38 is by no means the dominant force of his one-day equivalent, though Root sees no discouragement in his lack of top-order pedigree against the red ball.

If there had been any doubt over his credentials, they were blown away in a dominant 85 in England's World Cup semi-final win over Australia – an innings which he showed a strong defensive game to complement his stirring strokeplay.

"I hope he doesn't try and play differently," Root said of Roy. "I hope he'll go and be himself.

^{Olly Stone made his ODI debut in Sri Lanka}

"You've seen throughout, only small pockets, in the World Cup in particular there were times when he was able to soak up pressure and trust his defence.

"It might be that he has to draw that out for longer in Test cricket but you know that there are times when he can put pressure on the opposition. He's one of the best in the world at doing that."

For both Root and Roy, the Lord's showpiece provides an opportunity to continue to exploit the goodwill created by the thrilling chaos of England’s World Cup win at the same venue nine days ago. Ensuring that no emotional hangover slips into a game that could set the tone for the remainder of the red-ball summer is key.

"It's something we addressed as a squad," Root admitted. "We knew that after such an emotional fire, in particular, that it was important we got our heads around this week and what was to come.

"We addressed it very early at the camp and feel, off the back of that, everyone's very aware of the challenges that are ahead of us. We're lucky to have guys that are fresh and ready and full of energy to help out and take a little bit more responsibility on certain areas, away from the cricket itself.

"But you've got to look at it from a different way as well – we couldn't be better-placed in many ways. There's a huge amount of confidence coming off the back of that. That counts for a lot – that’s something we've got to ride the wave of and capitalise on going into what's a huge six Test matches."

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