'It's not his fault' - Jofra Archer refuses to blame skipper Joe Root for elbow injury

England fast-bowler Jofra Archer has leapt in defence of his Test captain Joe Root who is facing the heat in the wake of his elbow injury. Archer has not played for England since being ruled out of action after the first of the four-match Test series in South Africa last month. He is also not a part of England’s challenging tour of Sri Lanka this month.

Archer was playing non-stop cricket for England across formats since making the debut for them last summer just before the World Cup. Archer was the leading wicket-taker for England in their historic World Cup triumph and made his Test debut just few days later in the Ashes where he hit the ground running in the longest format of the game.

Jofra Archer failed to live up to his expectations in New Zealand

However, Jofra Archer could not perform as per expectations on the tour of New Zealand and his fortunes did not change in the first Test against South Africa either before he was sidelined. But more than his form, the focus has been on his workload. Several quarters have blamed Root for using Archer too much which probably played a big part in his injury.

However, Archer has refused to blame his skipper, saying that his injury was not Root’s fault. The Barbados-born bowler also praised Root as a leader and stated that a ‘good bunch of boys’ want him as the captain of the side.

“It’s not [Root’s] fault I’m injured,” Archer told ESPNCricinfo. “I’ve seen that a lot actually; it’s not his fault, it’s not my fault, it’s not anyone’s fault.”

“If everyone knew when you were going to get injured, then there would be physiotherapists and there wouldn’t be any injuries. I just don’t like it when people get blamed wrongfully. He is a good leader and we’ve got a good bunch of boys who want to be led by him”

“He already has his own stuff to deal with; being captain is hard enough, and being a relied-on batter, it all comes with its own pressures. I don’t think anyone needs any additional pressures that will hamper them and, evidently, the team. I obviously look out for who looks out for you,” added the World Cup-winner.