Archer has not played a Test since March 2021 and only returned to international cricket earlier this year after an absence of nearly two years, owing to elbow and back injuries; watch the Ashes live on Sky Sports from June 16; England begin summer vs Ireland on June 1
Tuesday 16 May 2023 19:04, UK
England bowler Jofra Archer will miss The Ashes and the rest of the summer after suffering a recurrence of a stress fracture to his right elbow.
Archer has not played a Test since March 2021 and only returned to international cricket earlier this year after an absence of nearly two years, owing to elbow and back injuries.
The 28-year-old is "distraught" by the injury, according to ECB managing director Rob Key, and will now spend time with the England and Sussex medical teams.
Archer has not yet been ruled out of the Cricket World Cup, which begins in October, but is awaiting specialist advice on his injury.
Key said: "It has been a frustrating and upsetting period for Jofra Archer. He was making good progress until a recurrence of the elbow injury, which kept him out for an extended period previously.
"We wish him the best of luck with his recovery. I'm sure we will see Jofra back to his best and winning games for England, whatever the format. Hopefully, sooner rather than later."
Archer returned early from the Indian Premier League last week due to discomfort in his troublesome right elbow, the England and Wales Cricket Board confirming that Archer had been "pushing through the discomfort" while playing and it had proved "challenging".
Olly Stone also faces several weeks on the sidelines after injuring his hamstring on duty for Nottinghamshire.
The ECB also released a statement on Sunday confirming England and Lancashire seamer James Anderson has sustained a mild strain to his right groin, but he was then named in the 15-man squad for the Test match against Ireland on June 1.
Warwickshire seamer Chris Woakes returned to the Test squad for the first time since March 2022, while Mark Wood is back in the squad.
Test captain Ben Stokes, meanwhile, has sent down just one over for Chennai Super Kings in the ongoing Indian Premier League, with the franchise's head coach Stephen Fleming saying, "Ben's ability to bowl overs at the moment is still a bit of a challenge".
With Archer now ruled out for the remainder of the summer, ECB managing director Key admitted the focus has to shift to getting the fast bowler's body in the best position to deal with the "rigours" of cricket.
"People like Pat Cummings missed a lot of cricket in the early stage of his career and now he's putting season after season together for Australia," said Key.
"I'm hoping at some point, Jofra, who deserves a bit of luck and is distraught about what's happened, that his luck turns. I'm sure it will.
"The one thing about Jofra is sometimes people think he's going to go down the white-ball road and there are other things on his mind. That's absolutely not the case. He's desperate to play all forms of cricket."
He added: "At the moment all cricket has been too much for his body to cope with and we need to get past that.
"Someone like Jofra is like a Formula 1 car almost. He goes through the period that he's been through, that's been really tough, and you just think you get to the point where he can play, but there's another setback.
"You just hope down the line he will overcome this and the body will become robust enough to deal with the rigours of everything.
"I wouldn't sit here and rule anything out at the moment."
Sky Sports Cricket's Michael Atherton admits that Archer's persistent elbow problems will be a worry for England moving forward as he continues to search for a solution to the injury.
"I think the difficulty is just the recurring nature of this injury which he first suffered two years ago," Atherton told Sky Sports.
"He has not played Test cricket for two years now and it has been recurring and recurring again and that is the worry that he and the medical staff can't seem to get over it.
"Clearly he is a fast bowler and an elbow is a key part of a fast bowler's armoury, that is how they propel the ball. That has to be a concern.
"At 28 he should probably be in the prime of his bowling life now, mid 20s to early 30s.
"These are precious months and precious years that are being taken away from a man that, when at his best and fit, is an outstanding fast bowler."
Stokes will lead England for the first time in an Ashes series, with the hosts looking to regain the urn for the first time since 2015, and - after a four-day Test against Ireland - it will all begin at Edgbaston on June 16.
The series will then move on to Lord's (June 28-July 2) and Headingley (July 6-10), the scene of Stokes' 2019 heroics, before finishing at Emirates Old Trafford (July 19-23) and The Kia Oval (July 27-31).
Watch every match from the men's and women's Ashes live on Sky Sports. You can also follow videos and over-by-over text commentary across Sky Sports' digital platforms. Live coverage of the first Test is live from June 16-20 on Sky Sports Cricket.