Jofra Archer To Miss The Two-Test Series Against New Zealand

In a body blow to England ahead of the two-Test series against New Zealand, paceman Jofra Archer will not participate due to his elbow injury. The England & Wales Cricket Board announced that Jofra Archer complained of pain in his right elbow and bowled only five overs for Sussex in their county championship match against Essex. The selectors will pick the squad for the New Zealand Tests this week.

For Jofra Archer, it’s yet another setback as he had to withdraw from this year’s IPL as he continued to recover from the surgery done to remove a piece of glass from his right hand. The 26-year old underwent a series of cortisone injections to somehow play in the five-match T20I series before IPL 2021 in March. After a modest display on return for Sussex’s second XI against Surrey’s second XI, Archer appeared to be returning to his best by picking two scalps against Kent, including his Test team-mate Zak Crawley.

Sussex captain Ben Brown wanted to open the bowling with Jofra Archer on the third day; however, since he felt sore, the skipper turned to George Garton. Ben Brown sympathized with the Barbadian, hailing him as a champion and a talented bowler, but he cannot do what he wants at present.

“It was a communication thing with Jofra on Saturday evening. 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,” Brown said as quoted by ESPN Cricinfo after the match.

The England and Sussex medical teams will now seek guidance for Jofra Archer: England & Wales Cricket Board

A statement from England & Wales Cricket Board confirmed that Jofra Archer felt pain in his right elbow when bowling and could not do so in the final two days of the match against Kent. It claimed that the right-arm speedster will see a medical consultant this week to determine the next course of action on his elbow injury management.

“Archer was suffering from pain in his right elbow when bowling and was unable to bowl in the final two days of the match. The England and Sussex medical teams will now seek guidance. Archer will see a medical consultant later this week to determine the next course of action on the management of his elbow,” ECB’s statement added.

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