England pace bowler Jofra Archer has been ruled out of this year’s T20 World Cup and Ashes series.
The 26-year-old suffered a stress fracture in his right elbow and it has not healed well enough for him to feature in either event.
He will now take a break from the game and have the injury reassessed in the autumn.
Archer had surgery in May to remove a bone fragment from the same elbow but was hit with more discomfort when he returned to play for Sussex in the T20 Blast last month.
The news is another blow to England after the loss of Ben Stokes, who is taking an indefinite break from the sport due to mental health issues.
A statement from the ECB said: “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 LV Insurance 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 during matches for Sussex in the Vitality Blast and a 50-over friendly against Oxfordshire.
“He will now spend time on an extended break from cricket before returning for a medical review in early autumn.”
Blow to England’s T20 World Cup Chances
Archer would have been a key part of England’s bid for T20 World Cup glory, while is extra pace would have also been a big weapon Down Under.
The injury also ends any slim hope that Rajasthan Royals had that the bowling star could return for the resumption of IPL 2021.
England remain 5.0 second-favourites with bet365 to win year’s T20 World Cup in the UAE.
T20 World Cup Odds
Team | T20 World Cup Winner Odds |
---|---|
India | 3.25 |
England | 5.0 |
Australia | 7.0 |
West Indies | 7.0 |
New Zealand | 9.0 |
Pakistan | 9.0 |
South Africa | 13.0 |
Sri Lanka | 41.0 |
Afghanistan | 41.0 |
Bangladesh | 51.0 |
Ireland | 501.0 |
Papua New Guinea | 1001.0 |
Netherlands | 1001.0 |
Scotland | 1001.0 |
Oman | 1001.0 |
Namibia | 1501.0 |