Nottingham, UK
England fast bowler Jofra Archer will miss both the Twenty20 World Cup and the Ashes series in Australia the England and Wales Cricket Board announced on Thursday.
The ECB said in a statement that scans last week on the currently sidelined 26-year-old’s right elbow had revealed a recurrence of a stress fracture.
“In response to these findings, he has been ruled out for the rest of the year and will miss the current LV= Insurance Test series against India, the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 and the Ashes series in Australia,” the ECB statement added.
Archer was a central figure in 2019’s World Cup triumph on home soil and the Sussex quick was considered vital to England’s hopes of winning the T20 World Cup, in the UAE and Oman in October and November, and regaining the Ashes when a five-Test series begins in Australia in December.
News of his long absence was announced just days after England revealed that fellow World Cup-winner and star all-rounder Ben Stokes was taking an indefinite break from all cricket to prioritise his mental health.
Now they must confront doubts over whether the Barbados-born Archer will be able to resume his 13-match Test career given the physical demands of the five-day game.—AFP
