In what is a huge blow to England's chances in the upcoming Test vs India in July, ace pacer Jofra Archer has been ruled out of the whole English summer due to a stress fracture. England and Wales Cricket Board said that Archer will miss the full season due to a stress fracture on his lower back.
"After being diagnosed with a stress fracture to the lower back, England and Sussex seamer Jofra Archer has been ruled out for the rest of the season," the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said in a statement.
What could make even Mumbai Indians management worried is that there is not set time-frame on Archer's return which makes him a doubtful for next year's IPL. Not to forget, Archer has been dealing with injuries for some time now and has been healing various injuries.
Few will forget Jofra Archer's debut year in international cricket, thanks to his heroics at the 2019 World Cup win and his explosion into Test cricket.
Archer has taken 42 wickets in 13 Tests, but an elbow injury has halted his progress, ruling him out for much of 2021.#BHM pic.twitter.com/rltK3WURZ6
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) October 31, 2021
"No time-frame has been set for his return. A management plan will be determined following further specialist opinion over the coming days."
Archer last played an international cricket match in March 2021 and that too against India. However, since then he has been struggling with his elbow injury.
The England pacer will miss the fifth Test between India and England that was rescheduled to July 2022 after the series came to a halt due to coronavirus cases in Indian bubble last year. Archer will also miss the limited-overs leg of the India tour.
Archer underwent an elbow surgery and then made a comeback to county cricket for Sussex before suffering a stress fracture.
The last competitive match that he played was a T20 game against Kent at Hove.
Playing for England, Archer has picked a total of 86 wicketsso in 42 international matches across three formats. England have missed his services in key tournaments, including The Ashes and the T20 World Cup 2021, where they could not reach the final and finished as semi-finalsts.
