Jofra Archer ruled out for rest of year with elbow injury

London: England paceman Jofra Archer has been ruled out for the rest of the year due to a recurrence of an elbow injury, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) confirmed on Thursday.

Archer underwent scans on his injured right elbow last week, and the results revealed he had suffered a recurrence of a stress fracture.

The development rules him out for the rest of the year, meaning he will miss England's ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2021 campaign as well as the ongoing England-India ICC World Test Championship 2021-23 series and the Ashes series in Australia later in the year.

Archer had an operation on his elbow in May "to remove a bone fragment" and returned to action in July.

He returned to action for Sussex in the County Championship, only for the elbow injury to flare up in the second innings. He did not bowl on the final two days of that game against Kent and was subsequently ruled out of the home series against New Zealand.

"As part of his return-to-bowling programme, he became aware of increasing discomfort in his elbow during matches for Sussex in the Blast and a 50-over friendly against Oxfordshire," the ECB said in a statement.

"The operation is not related to the stress fracture that sidelined the player previously,' it added.

Archer will now take "an extended break from cricket" and return for a medical review in early Autumn.

The pacer's injury comes as another big blow for England given their preparation for the T20 World Cup in UAE later this year and the Ashes.

They will also miss the services of Ben Stokes, who has taken an indefinite break to "prioritise his mental well-being and to rest his left index finger, which has not fully healed since his return to competitive cricket earlier this month." (UNI)