Jofra Archer might be out of New Zealand Tests as his elbow injury resurfaces

Jofra Archer’s fitness has been one of the biggest concerns in England cricket lately. The right-arm pacer has a history of elbow injuries that saw him missing several crucial fixtures. He even got ruled out of the crucial ODI series against India in March and also the now-suspended Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021. Although he returned to the field during Sussex’s county championship game against Kent, it seems like he still needs more time to attain full fitness.

England has a packed schedule ahead of them, and the team management would want their best players to be available. Joe Root’s men will meet New Zealand in a two-match series in June before crossing swords with Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the limited-overs series. With the New Zealand series starting from June 2, the England and Wales Cricket Board will have to announce their squad soon. However, Jofra Archer might miss the berth due to his elbow issues.

Jofra Archer’s elbow injury might keep him out of the New Zealand series

“If you saw today he’s not going to bowl tomorrow. You’ll have to ask the ECB. Any time that Jofra can’t bowl you’re going to be frustrated as a leader, or as a team. But it happens. In sport, people get injured. That’s life. That’s sport,” Sussex head coach Ian Salisbury told reporters on Saturday.

Salisbury’s statement indicates that Archer is still not ready for five-day cricket, and ECB might be forced to overlook him for the New Zealand series. However, the Sussex coach also mentioned that Archer is determined to play and win games for his side. “He’s still willing to be out there because he wants Sussex to win. They (ECB) had to give him permission to play this game. He’s not our player so they had to give permission,” he added.

With England having services of James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Olly Stone and Mark Wood, ECB isn’t likely to pick the Barbados-born speedster for the series. However, the governing body would surely want the pacer to get fit by the time Team India reaches UK. England will host Virat Kohli’s men a five-match Test series, starting August 4.