The England cricket team suffered a major blow on Thursday after the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) confirmed that pace ace Jofra Archer will be ruled out for the remainder of the 2021 season following a recurrence of a stress fracture on his right elbow.
The Barbados-born fast bowler had an operation in May to remove a bone fragment from his elbow before returning to action in July.
Archer, who has been struggling with the injury for a while now, had missed the Indian T20 League with Team Rajasthan because of it earlier this year.
He was absent during England’s home series against New Zealand in June as well after aggravating his injury playing for Sussex in a County Championship match. The injury also ruled the fast bowler out of the ongoing five-match Test series against India.
"As part of [Archer's] return-to-bowling programme, he became aware of increasing discomfort in his elbow during matches for Sussex in the Vitality Blast and a 50-over friendly against Oxfordshire. The operation [was] not related to the stress fracture that sidelined the player previously.
"He will now spend time on an extended break from cricket before returning for a medical review in early autumn," an ECB statement read.
Jofra Archer’s injury is a major blow for England, who are already coping with the absence of star all-rounder Ben Stokes, who’s on an indefinite break from cricket for his mental well-being.
Archer’s absence could hurt England in their quest to win their second World T20 title and regain the Ashes later this year.
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