Chris Silverwood provides key Jofra Archer injury update ahead of T20 series
Chris Silverwood has said that Jofra Archer’s elbow injury will need managing in the long term, with England’s medical staff contemplating ways to manage the express pacer considering the busy schedule ahead.
Jofra Archer missed the second and fourth Tests against India due to an elbow problem. The injury seems to be a recurrence of the one he sustained last year, which was subsequently diagnosed as a stress fracture. That injury had ruled him out of the IPL and the Sri Lanka tour last year, but both events were subsequently rescheduled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
With Jofra Archer a vital cog of England’s limited-overs set-up, Chris Silverwood provided an update on the player’s fitness ahead of the five-match T20 series against India.
"Jofra's elbow did flare up a little bi,t and the medical staff are managing that at the moment. Obviously, we'll monitor his progress. The medical staff are talking about how we deal with this long term. He's trained today with the white-ball squad. We'll be monitoring his situation."
A chronic issue for Jofra Archer could end up seeing his workload managed by the England Cricket Board (ECB). In his young career, Jofra Archer has become one of England’s premier bowlers across formats.
His latest injury has raised question marks about whether Jofra Archer’s body can handle the rigours of international cricket. However, refuting suggestions that the 25-year-old may have to undergo surgery, Silverwood backed Jofra Archer to have a long and successful Test career.
“I'm not sure surgery has come up yet. I'll be guided by the medics on that. I wouldn't say I'm concerned, no. Could we limit the number of overs he bowls? It's not something I would go out and predict, but we'll find out in the course of time. The important thing for me at the moment is that Jofra gets every resource we can provide to make sure he does have a long and successful Test career."
Jofra Archer has a big few months coming up for England
All the injury talk around Jofra Archer is sure to make England fans wary about his availability later this year.
England have a home Test series against India coming up in August, before they participate in the T20 World Cup in India later this year. Attention will then shift to the Ashes at the end of the year, with Jofra Archer expected to be a part of all three events.
England’s workload management policy has attracted widespread criticism following their 3-1 series loss to India; they will now have to manage Jofra Archer efficiently in the coming months.
An aggravation of the same issue could see Jofra Archer go into surgery and spend time on the sidelines, which is the last thing England would want for one of their best fast bowlers.