Jofra Archer required two surgeries on his troublesome elbow, but a stress fracture in his lower back forced him out for the season; The ECB said no timeframe has been set for her return, adding: A management plan will be determined following an additional specialist opinion in the coming days.
Jofra Archer has suffered a new injury that will leave him out of the season
England and Sussex closer Jofra Archer has been ruled out for the season after being diagnosed with a stress fracture in his lower back.
Archer has not played for England since their T20I tie in India last March and has undergone three rounds of surgery in the last 14 months, one on his hand to remove a shard of glass and two on his elbow.
The 27-year-old trained with England in Barbados as part of his rehabilitation earlier this year and had planned to return to Sussex in their opening Blast match against Glamorgan later this month.
There were hopes that he could play some T20 cricket for England before the end of the season, but the latest injury has ended any prospect of that.
A statement from the England and Wales Cricket Board said: “After being diagnosed with a stress fracture in his lower back, England and Sussex closer Jofra Archer has been ruled out for the rest of the season.
“No timeframe has been set for his return. A management plan will be determined after an additional specialist opinion in the coming days.”
He is the third England bowler to be diagnosed with a stress fracture in the last week, with Lancashire’s Saqib Mahmood and Yorkshire’s Matthew Fisher receiving similar news.
The speedy Barbados-born enjoyed a sensational start to his England career after becoming eligible in 2019, immediately taking a central role in the one-day team’s World Cup-winning campaign and delivering the super tense that sealed the trophy.
He then proved his credentials with the red ball, making an unforgettable Test debut at Lord’s in the Ashes. During that match, he cast a fearsome and hostile spell on Steve Smith that saw the Australia batsman become the first player to be substituted under concussion protocols.
But he has managed just 12 more Test appearances since then, with his elbow problems repeatedly forcing him out of contention. England initially tried to treat the joint with injections, but eventually admitted surgery would be necessary.
The director of men’s cricket, Rob Key, admitted on Wednesday that the loss of a number of bowlers to injury is an area England need to address.
“It’s definitely a concern and trying to figure out why this is happening is something we need to investigate and make sure hopefully it never happens again,” Key told reporters.
“As you know with all fast bowlers, unfortunately these are the things that happen, stress fractures in particular.
“We’re going to have to try to convey that as best we can so we can have as many options as possible.”
Archer missed a T20 World Cup and an Ashes tour this winter, but was optimistic the worst was behind him. writing for him daily mail earlier this month, he said: “In a situation like this, when you’re forced to have operations, you think about whether you’re going to play cricket again, whether you’re going to play all formats even.”
“At one point I thought I was going to lose my contract when things weren’t going well, but now I’m confident in what the future holds. Yes, there have been two surgeries, but honestly, I couldn’t have written my comeback from rehab any better.” .
Sky Sports News reporter James Cole:
“England no longer have fast bowlers Olly Stone, Sam Curran, Mark Wood, Chris Woakes and Ollie Robinson.
“A huge blow to Archer and England, and you really have to feel for him given he hasn’t played international cricket for 14 months.
He has had two operations on his elbow. There will also be questions about whether he can return to full form for the T20 World Cup in Australia later in the year.
“He’s 27, still young, but the big concern is whether he can get back to bowling at that extreme pace that made him such a potent weapon for England.”
