‘It’s good to have that X-factor bowler’ - Allan Border opines on England sorely missing Jofra Archer ahead of Ashes 2023

Former Australia skipper Allan Border voiced his stance on England pacer Jofra Archer’s exclusion from the Ashes 2023, due to his injury. Notably, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) confirmed that the speedster is officially ruled out of the entire summer courtesy of his recurring stress fracture to his right elbow.

For those unversed, the ECB named the 15-member squad for the forthcoming One-off Test against Ireland in which Archer was confirmed ruled out. In addition to this, the pacer will miss the eagerly anticipated Ashes 2023 series, which is scheduled to commence on June 16.

Cricketer-turned-broadcaster Allan Border expressed that the Three Lions would undoubtedly miss the ace pacer in their bowling arsenal ahead of the crucial Ashes series. He further opined on having an ‘X-factor’ who can upset the opposition citing Archer’s name, who offers raw pace which can rattle the batting unit.

“(Jofra) Archer worried our guys in the last series, so he’s a big out for England. It’s good to have that X-factor bowler, who you can bring on know he’s going to upset the opposition, doesn’t matter what the tracks are like. He’s got that raw pace that no one likes facing … you don’t find them on the shelf too often,” Border told Fox Cricket.

Jofra Archer visited Belgium for his treatment between the ongoing IPL 2023

The pacer recently donned the outfit of the Mumbai Indians in the 16^th edition of the IPL. However, he sustained a recurring elbow injury in the midst of the competition and travelled to Belgium for further scans before being entirely ruled out of the ongoing season of the top-tier league.

It is worth mentioning that Archer has donned the Whites in 13 matches for England, claiming 42 wickets with his career-best bowling performance being 6/45. Archer appeared lastly in the longest format in 2021 during the third Test against India in Ahmedabad, wherein he claimed a solitary wicket in the entire match.

Meanwhile, the ECB named Ollie Pope as the deputy of the side with immediate effect and the star keeper-batter, Jonny Bairstow returns to action following a freak golf accident for the One-off Test against Ireland.