The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) recently announced the England 14-man squad for the upcoming three ODI matches against India which begins from March 23 onwards. England recently lost the five-match T20I series to India 2-3, despite having a lead of 2-1 at one stage.
Before this, England had lost the 4-match Test series 1-3 and was eliminated from qualification for the final of the ICC World Test Championship. The ECB along with the announcement of the England ODI squad for the India series gave an update on the injury concerns of fast bowler Jofra Archer, whose elbow problems have flared up again.
Jofra Archer To Miss The ODI Series And The First Half Of The IPL 2021
As per the ECB media release, Jofra Archer is returning to the UK for further management and investigation of his right elbow injury. This injury has been troubling him since the start of 2020 and he was even ruled out of the IPL 2020 and only played in the IPL because it was postponed to September due to the COVID-19 pandemic and was played in the UAE.
The media release further mentioned that Archer’s elbow problems have worsened over the course of the India T20I series and made it increasingly challenging for him to maintain performance levels. Hence, Jofra Archer has been deemed unfit for selection for the ODI series that features matches on 23, 26, and 28 March.
Jofra Archer had also missed two Tests against India earlier as well due to a similar problem as well. The ECB medical team will assess the player and, together with Jofra, develop a treatment plan and a return-to-play schedule in due course.
The ECB further confirmed that Jofra Archer will also miss the first half of the IPL 2021 which begins from April 9 onwards. Archer is the lead fast bowler for the Rajasthan Royals franchise, who had bought him for INR 7.20 crores in IPL 2018 auction.
In the 35 IPL matches for RR, Archer has 46 wickets at an economy of 7.13 and best bowling of 3/15. He has also made 195 runs at a strike-rate of 157.25. Archer played all five T20Is for England against India and picked 7 wickets with his best bowling being 4/33 at an economy of 7.75.
Also Read: India vs England 2021: England Announce 14-Men Squad For The ODI Series
