Jofra Archer unavailable for West Indies tour after suffering setback during rehab from elbow injury
England pacer Jofra Archer's wait to recover from an elbow injury continues as he has suffered a setback during rehabilitation in the form of pain while training. As a result, he was not considered for the white-ball squads led by Jos Buttler for the upcoming tour of the Caribbean.
Archer was part of the England squad at the 2023 ODI World Cup as a traveling reserve. However, he was not fit enough to feature in the main squad despite a major injury to Reece Topley, leading to the management calling up Brydon Carse.
Archer's last set of appearances came during the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) season for the Mumbai Indians (MI). However, he could only play five matches as the stress fracture in his elbow flared up again.
About the decision to not use Archer during the World Cup and his absence from the white-ball squad, England and Wales Cricket Board's (ECB) managing director Rob Key said:
"You don't want to risk rushing something to see that kibosh the rest of his career. So we then said, 'right, fine, this isn't the right way to go. Rather than just keep him hanging around and not really doing anything, let's send him back home and get in Brydon Carse who had been preparing."
"Rather than pick him in the squads, we're just going to play it by ear and when he's fit and ready to come back in, he'll come back in. Until he's ready and fit, he won't be in the squad - and even then, he's going to take a period of building up. It's not going to be straightforward, and we've got to be so careful," he added.
Archer had endured a lengthy 18-month absence due to injury in 2021 and made his international comeback during the tour of South Africa and Bangladesh in early 2023 - his last set of appearances for England.
"We're desperate for Jofra Archer" - ECB managing director Rob Key
Jofra Archer was recently handed a two-year contract by the ECB despite the pacer having only played seven international matches since March 2021.
Noting that Archer will be given time to recover completely, considering the upside, Key said:
"We're desperate for Jofra. We take that bet with him that we want him back fit and able to play for England, because of the upside."
Archer was progressing well and was even seen bowling in the nets during England's home series against New Zealand during the build-up to the World Cup.