"There must be a doubt now over Jofra Archer's long-term effectiveness" - Michael Atherton
Former England captain Michael Atherton has cast doubt over Jofra Archer's future with the national team across all three formats. The all-rounder underwent a second surgery to treat his elbow injury, which is likely to extend his absence from the sport.
An update on @jofraarcher's fitness 👇
The 26-year-old has been an integral part of England's white-ball set-up and has translated his expertise into the longest format of the game. With England employing workload management, especially for bowlers, Archer has broken into the Test team as well. However, persistent injury issues culminated in a major elbow injury earlier this year. Writing for his column in The Times, Atherton wrote:
"It was in August that the ECB announced that Jofra Archer had suffered a recurrence; that he has now undergone a second operation must be extremely concerning. He has played 13 Tests, 17 ODIs and a dozen T20 internationals and is regarded as a critically important all-format bowler, but there must be a doubt now over his long-term effectiveness and whether he has a future across all three forms of the game."
Archer made his Test debut in the 2019 Ashes where he had an instant impact. He came into the series on the back of a victorious World Cup campaign with England.
Jofra Archer last played for England in March
The 26-year-old underwent his first surgery in May this year after an elbow injury started troubling him at the start of 2020 during the tour of South Africa. He was advised to go under the knife by the ECB after the issue continued to trouble him on the tour of India and domestic matches for Sussex.
Major surgery forced him to miss England's home series against India, the T20 World Cup and the Ashes in Australia. Jofra Archer was optimistic about his rehabilitation program earlier this month, but his timeline has now been pushed back after a second surgery.
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#RoyalsFamily | @JofraArcher https://t.co/4KeSpbTzNA
He has been ruled out of the West Indies tour and is unlikely to put his name forward for the upcoming mega auction and the ensuing 2022 edition of the IPL. The uncertainty over the injury deterred Rajasthan Royals from retaining Jofra Archer ahead of the auction. Instead, they chose to bring back Sanju Samson, Jos Buttler and Yashasvi Jaiswal.