England seamer Jofra Archer has been ruled out of the upcoming tour of Sri Lanka and the Indian Premier League after X-rays showed a low-grade stress fracture in the right elbow. The cricketer had picked up his injury in the first Test against South Africa that was held in Centurion, and eventually missed the remaining three Tests that England won 3-1.
“He will now commence an injury rehabilitation programme with the ECB medical team with a view to be ready for the international summer campaign starting in June against West Indies in a three-match Test series,” the ECB stated in a release on Thursday.
England will tour Sri Lanka for two Tests in early March, with the IPL beginning on March 29. He is a part of the Rajasthan Royals team, who had retained him for the 2020 edition.
How Archer’s absence will hamper the franchise
The injury to the West Indian-born fast bowler will come as a major blow to Royals, who would have been hoping to rely on the expertise of the World Cup-winning Archer to lead the charge in the upcoming edition of the T20 league. While the franchise will be opting for a replacement, the current options in the line-up offer little hope to the squad as they look for a pace spearhead.
They do have Andrew Tye, Tom Curran, Ben Stokes and Oshane Thomas as the foreign recruits, who will need to step up and lead the charge with the new ball and in the powerplays in the upcoming edition of the T20 extravaganza. Tye, once a lethal player for Kings XI Punjab for his toe-crushing yorkers at the death, had a below-par season in 2019, where he picked up just 3 wickets whilst conceding more than 10 runs an over. He was released ahead of the 2020 season, and he will be more eager to rise back to the top again, which might potentially put him under tremendous pressure.
Thomas had a fantastic start to his international career, where he troubled the Indians on the tour to the country in 2018, but inconsistencies and injury have hampered his progress. Since then, he has only played 10 T20Is, picking up 9 wickets at an average of 36.22 and an economy rate of 8.81. His strike rate with the ball – 24.6 – is not inspiring either, and expecting the 22-year old to lead the pace attack will be too much of an ask.
Tom Curran and Ben Stokes, Archer’s compatriots, are effective all-rounders, but lack the lethal presence that the latter would have brought to the table. Stokes, in particular, might not bowl in every game – he sent down 16.5 overs in 9 games in 2019, an average of 1.8 overs per game – and the same can be expected yet again as well.
The Indian pacers – Varun Aaron, Jaydev Unadkat and Ankit Rajpoot – often prove to be expensive and leak runs all over the park both with the new ball and at the death, and while youngster Karthik Tyagi is a promising presence, he will need an idol in the bowling unit, who can guide and inspire him to perfect his art.
The Royals, thus, would have been looking to Archer as their primary weapon, and his injury only leaves the side with a huge void to fill.
On Thursday, the franchise sent out a tweet that read, “We’re working with the ECB to help @JofraArcher secure a speedy recovery, and still hope to see him in a Royals jersey this season,” which signifies the magnanimity of the loss, and how eager the side are to get Archer back into their ranks ahead of the IPL 2020.
We’re working with the ECB to help @JofraArcher secure a speedy recovery, and still hope to see him in a Royals jersey this season.#RoyalsFamily pic.twitter.com/zZB6WFsQ5y
— Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) February 6, 2020