Jofra Archer (AP)
Jofra Archer (AP)

England pacer Jofra Archer is still struggling with his elbow injury to his right arm and is in doubt for the upcoming five-match T20I series against India. This news comes after Archer had missed the fourth and final Test at Ahmedabad due to a reoccurrence of the elbow problem.

Jofra Archer
Jofra Archer. Image Credits: Twitter

This injury first came to the fore ahead of the Cape Town Test at the start of 2020. The injury was subsequently diagnosed as a stress fracture and ruled Archer out of England’s originally scheduled tour of Sri Lanka and the IPL 2020. However, both the events were rescheduled due to COVID-19, and Archer participated in the IPL, which was played in UAE.

ECB Medical Team Monitoring Jofra Archer’s Fitness: England Coach Chris Silverwood

Chris Silverwood, the England head coach, dismissed talk of surgery at this stage, but said that the ECB medical team is monitoring Jofra Archer and “are talking about how we deal with this [issue in the] long-term”.

Silverwood also said that the medical team will assess his fitness before any decision is taken on his participation in the T20I series which begins on Friday.

Chris Silverwood (Sky Sports)
Chris Silverwood (Photo: Sky Sports)

“Jofra’s elbow did flare up a little bit and the medical staff are managing that at the moment. Obviously we’ll monitor his progress. The medical staff are talking about how we deal with this long term. He’s trained today with the white-ball squad. We’ll be monitoring his situation,” said the England coach.

As one of the world’s most valuable T20 players, he could make a fine living without risking further damage to his elbow from the strains of the red-ball game and his future in Tests is under consideration.

“I’ll be guided by the medics. We’ll see where we end up with him. I want Jofra to be fit for all forms of cricket. I want him to have a long, successful Test career. The important thing for me at the moment is that Jofra gets every resource we can provide to make sure he does have a long and successful Test career,” Silverwood added.

Jofra Archer
Jofra Archer (Image Credit: Twitter)

If England feels that Archer needs to undergo surgery or needs prolonged rest, as they would want him ready for the T20 World Cup and the Ashes series, his availability for this year’s IPL, which starts in April and runs until the end of May can be under question.

Read More  Jaydev Unadkat achieves one-of-a-kind record in the IPL after the MI vs SRH clash

Also Read: Jonny Bairstow Is Gone From The Test Team, Don’t See Him Playing In The Ashes – Michael Vaughan