England pacer Jofra Archer ruled out of the season with a stress fracture
Ace England pacer Jofra Archer has sustained another injury, this time a stress fracture on the lower back, that will see him miss the remainder of the season.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced the news in a media statement earlier on Thursday, May 19.
"After being diagnosed with a stress fracture to the lower back, England and Sussex seamer Jofra Archer has been ruled out for the rest of the season," ECB said.
We're all with you and we're all gutted for you, @JofraArcher 😔
However, the board couldn't give any time span for his return. A specialist team will chalk out a recovery plan for Archer in the coming days.
"No timeframe has been set for his return," the statement added. "A management plan will be determined following further specialist opinion over the coming days."
The 27-year-old's last international game was way back in March 2021 against India in Ahmedabad. He missed last year’s T20 World Cup and the Ashes because of an elbow injury that required two bouts of surgery.
Archer, who trained with the England side in Barbados earlier this year, was slated to return to action for Sussex in their first game of the T20 Blast against Glamorgan on May 26.
The fresh injury casts doubt over Archer's participation in the T20 World Cup, scheduled to take place in Australia later this year.
The pacer is the third England bowler to be diagnosed with a stress fracture in the past week after Lancashire's Saqib Mahmood and Yorkshire's Matthew Fisher.
Jofra Archer's record in international cricket
I feel for Jofra Archer. It must be terribly frustrating.
After being fast-tracked into England's national team in 2019, the Barbados-born cricketer took over the role of the leading pacer. He made telling contributions to Eoin Morgan and Co, helping them win the prestigious World Cup title at home.
Jofra also proved his red-ball credentials with a superlative Test debut against Australia at Lord's that same year. He bowled some hostile spells throughout the series, including the much-debated bouncer to Steve Smith that saw the former Australian captain become the first player to be substituted due to concussion.
Overall, Jofra Archer has played 13 Tests, picking up 42 wickets, including three five-wicket hauls. He has also featured in 17 ODIs and 12 T20Is for England.