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LONDON: England pacer Jofra Archer will miss this year’s T20 World Cup and the Ashes in Australia after suffering a recurrence of a stress fracture of his right elbow, according to country’s cricket board (ECB).
The 26-year-old underwent surgery to remove a bone fragment from his elbow in May but made his comeback for Sussex last month and was expected to play a key role in both red-ball and white-ball cricket for England this winter.
However, he underwent scans last week that revealed a recurrence of a persistent elbow issue that has seen him miss a number of England games over the past 18 months and led to him sitting out this year’s IPL as he sought to resolve the problem.
An ECB statement SAID, “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,” it added.
It is a further blow to England, who is also without Ben Stokes after the all-rounder made the decision to take an indefinite break from cricket to prioritise his mental wellbeing.
The 26-year-old was also excluded from England’s squad for the opening two Tests against India and the ECB said he will now miss the rest of the series.
The T20 World Cup is scheduled to be held from October 17-November 14 in the United Arab Emirates and Oman. The five-Test Ashes series is scheduled to begin on December 8 in Brisbane.
