Jofra Archer has been ruled out of the upcoming two-match Test series against New Zealand due to an elbow injury. The 26-year-old, who has had elbow troubles in the past, complained of pain in his right elbow during his first-class return for Sussex in their game against Kent.
It has been a pretty frustrating year for Jofra Archer so far. In 2021, the Barbados-born England fast bowler hasn’t played a lot of cricket. He was rested for the tour of Sri Lanka, where England played two Test matches before he was picked in the squad for all four Tests in India.
However, Archer played just two of those Test matches as he suffered an elbow injury which ruled him out of the second and fourth Tests. The ace England fast bowler did feature in all the five T20Is that England played against India in Ahmedabad, but his elbow conditions worsened, which ruled him out of the three-match ODI series.
He returned home post the T20I series, and it was also understood that he would miss the first few games of the IPL 2021. However, a week later, he injured his hand, which was caused by a fish tank mishap. And a few weeks later, he was ruled out of the entire season of the IPL.
After a month of rehab, it was in the first week of May that Archer returned to action through the Sussex 2nd XI side and featured in their game against Surrey 2nd XI. He returned with figures of 2/102 but sent in 29.2 overs which was the crucial part.
Archer was immediately picked in the Sussex side for their fixture against Kent in round six of this County Championship 2021. Archer did bowl a fiery first spell and finished with figures of 2/29 in the first innings and bowled 13 overs. However, he could send down just five overs in the second essay before he complained of pain in his right elbow.
Thus, soreness and pain in his right elbow ensured that Archer couldn’t bowl a single delivery on the last two days of the four-day game against Kent.
Sussex skipper Ben Brown admitted that Archer confirmed that he was going to bowl on the third day during warm-up. However, the elbow turned out to be a little sorer than expected. Thus, Brown felt sad for the ‘champion and gifted cricketer’ who is unable to display his skills.
“There is no issue. I asked him beforehand if he was going to have a bowl and he said yes in a warm-up capacity. But he was feeling too sore to bowl. The issue here is a sad one for Jofra.
He’s a champion cricketer, so talented and so gifted, but at the moment he cannot do what he wants to do, he cannot do his skill. I really feel for him. He’s in a difficult situation, with that skill of bowling really fast being taken away from him if you like.
This week has been very challenging for him. He was hopeful about how it would go, but he’s felt pretty sore in this game,”
Brown was quoted saying after the conclusion of the game against Kent.
This elbow injury has also ruled him out of the upcoming two-match Test series against New Zealand, which is scheduled to start on the 2nd of June at Lord’s. The England and Wales Cricket Board issued a statement which said Archer will now consult a medical consultant to determine the further course of action.
“The England and Sussex medical teams will now seek guidance, and [Jofra] Archer will see a medical consultant later this week to determine the next course of action on the management of his elbow,“
the release from ECB stated.
Archer may have to undergo surgery, and according to ESPNCricinfo, it may be the preferred and safe option for both Archer and England.
