NO JOF

Why isn’t Jofra Archer playing at the T20 World Cup and will he play for England in The Ashes?

By Jim Sheridan

10th November 2021, 4:18 pm

Updated: 10th November 2021, 4:18 pm

ENGLAND are going for glory this autumn in the T20 Cricket World Cup.

Following success in the 50-over format two years ago, Eoin Morgan takes his men to the UAE looking to wrestle the crown from the West Indies.

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Reuters

Archer’s speed and bounce makes him a real weapon for England

But you may have noticed that Jofra Archer is not within the travelling squad.

Why isn’t Jofra Archer playing at the T20 World Cup?

There was a tsunami of expectation placed on Archer when he burst onto the scene just under three years ago.

The tall, slingy quick from Bridgetown is a true 90mph-plus bowler – and that makes him invaluable to England in all forms of the game.

Archer generates pace and bounce unlike anyone else in the England setup but has struggled with injuries since breaking onto the international scene.

He had been troubled by an elbow problem throughout 2020 and underwent surgery on a stress fracture earlier this summer.

As a result, Archer will miss both the T20 World Cup and the Ashes tour of Australia.

Sportzpics - BCCI

Archer is one of England’s most talented pace bowlers – but will miss both the Ashes and the T20 WC

The ECB released a statement in August which read: “The England and Wales Cricket Board can confirm that England fast bowler Jofra Archer underwent further scans on his injured right elbow last week.

“The scans revealed that he has suffered a recurrence of a stress fracture.

“In response to these findings, he has been ruled out for the rest of the year and will miss the current Test series against India, the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 and the Ashes series in Australia.

“The 26-year-old, who had an operation in May to remove a bone fragment from his elbow, returned to play last month.

“As part of his return-to-bowling programme, he became aware of increasing discomfort in his elbow.

“He will now spend time on an extended break from cricket before returning for a medical review in early autumn.”

Will Jofra Archer play in The Ashes 2021-22?

As mentioned above in the ECB’s statement, Archer is not set to play in the five Test match series Down Under, in a significant blow to England’s chances.

Thankfully, Ben Stokes is back for Joe Root’s team, who are bidding to win the urn back for the first time since 2015.

The Ashes could be a struggle for England, who have named what is widely perceived to be a weak team in the toughest of conditions.