England fast bowler Jofra Archer will miss the entire season after suffering a stress fracture of the lower back.
Jofra Archer Suffers Back Injury
Archer hasn’t played international cricket since March 2021 or any competitive cricket since May of that year, when he underwent the first of two elbow operations. The second surgery was in December, after which the Barbados-born paceman said he felt much more confident of a return to action.
“After being diagnosed with a stress fracture to the lower back, England and Sussex seamer Jofra Archer has been ruled out for the rest of the season.
“No timeframe has been set for his return. A management plan will be determined following further specialist opinion over the coming days,” said the ECB in a statement on Thursday (May 19).
Archer opened up about his injuries and battles fought during recovery in his column for the Daily Mail.
“In a situation like this, when you are forced to have operations, you do think about whether you are going to play cricket again, whether you’re going to play all formats even,” Archer wrote.
“But the ECB gave me the assurance and peace of mind that they wanted me around for a long time.
“At one point I thought I was going to lose my [England central] contract when things weren’t going well, but now I have confidence about what the future holds. Part of that is down to them not rushing me back.”
Archer has played less than fifty international matches for England but made a lasting impact in them. He was the highest wicket-taker for England and the third-highest overall with 20 scalps in the 2019 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup.
He etched his name in history, bowling the Super Over that won England their first-ever 50-over World Cup.
He followed that up with a brilliant performance in the 2019 Ashes that saw him scalp 22 wickets in four matches, only bettered by Pat Cummins (29) and Stuart Broad (23) who both played a game more.
Also read: England Pacer Jofra Archer Undergoes Second Elbow Surgery
