The misery piles on for England pace spearhead Jofra Archer as medical consultants have recommended surgery to fix his fragile right elbow, putting his participation in England's five-Test series against India in serious jeopardy.
"Jofra Archer has been reviewed by a medical consultant in respect of his right elbow soreness. He will now proceed to surgery tomorrow," England and Wales Cricket Board said in a statement.
Archer recently went under the knife to have a shard of glass removed from his hand, but the elbow has been a chronic problem for the quick. The injury saw him miss matches on the tour of South Africa in early 2020 before ruling him out of the fourth Test against India earlier this year.
Having remained out of action in the now-suspended IPL 2021, Archer made a comeback for Sussex in the County Championship last week, only for the elbow strain to flare up in the second innings. He did not bowl on the final two days of that game against Kent and was subsequently deemed unfit for next month's two-Test series versus New Zealand.
England have a packed summer and winter schedule this year, including home assignments against Sri Lanka, Pakistan and India followed by the T20 World Cup and the Ashes series Down Under. It is too soon to determine a post-procedure time frame for Archer's rehab but the firebrand seamer is set for a significant spell on the sidelines.
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