England bowler Jimmy Anderson faces a battle for fitness before the first Test against South Africa as he struggles with a knee complaint.

The Lancashire swing bowler has had three injections in the joint in an attempt to clear up an unidentified problem ahead of the start of the series on December 16th.

Concerns have grown as Durham bowler Mark Davies has been called into the squad as cover in case the team is short of fit seamers, a prospect made more likely last week when Ryan Sidebottom strained his side in a warm-up game.

Anderson's knee problem follows his successful battle to overcome a toe injury during the limited-over series, when he took career-best one day international figures of 5-23 at Port Elizabeth, the venue for the first Test.

South Africa have their own problems, with chairman of selectors Mike Proctor said that star all-rounder Jacques Kallis only has a 50-50 chance of being fit for next week as he seeks to recover from a cracked rib.