"Great that Jofra Archer put his England commitments before anything else" - Ben Stokes
Speaking during a press conference before the 2nd ODI against India, England all-rounder Ben Stokes shared his opinion on Jofra Archer's decision to skip the Indian Premier League (IPL) this year.
Jofra Archer, who sustained an elbow injury in early 2020, has been playing with the niggle for over a year. He looked uncomfortable during the Test series against India and missed a couple of games as well.
While playing all five T20Is on the India tour, Archer further aggravated the injury, which ruled him out of the ODI series and part of the IPL at the very least.
Jofra Archer has returned to the UK to treat his elbow, and reports suggest he could skip the tournament completely, given that the T20 World Cup and the Ashes are to be played later this year.
Ben Stokes said it was very sensible of Jofra Archer to return to England and get some rest. He also seemed pleased with the fact that the pacer has prioritised his England commitments.
"We're not too sure how much Jofra Archer is going to be able to play a part for us, if any. But I think one thing that we need to be very mindful of is that Jofra needs to give himself a chance to recover. I think it is great that he's come out and said that he is putting all his England commitments before anything else.
"I'm happy that he is going back and having some well-deserved rest and he's getting that elbow properly sorted because it's tough having an injury and then getting through a game and then going back with it again. I think, long-term for his career, this is a very sensible option for him to be taking," Ben Stokes said.
Also Read: 5 replacement options for Rajasthan Royals if Jofra Archer is ruled out of IPL 2021
Ben Stokes' struggles with the bat in the ongoing tour of India
Ben Stokes is a vital cog in England's batting line-up and there are usually a lot of expectations of him. However, on the ongoing tour, the left-hander has struggled to to perform.
In four Test matches, the all-rounder scored just 203 runs at an average of 25.38. His troubles with the bat continued in the shortest format as well, as he could only register 84 runs in three innings in the five-match series.
Ben Stokes was sent in to bat at three in the first ODI but failed yet again, scoring only 1 run off 11 balls before he was dismissed by debutant Prasidh Krishna.