“Archer’s focus will be playing for England”
England quick Jofra Archer is unlikely to be involved in this year’s IPL after the ECB offered an update on his elbow injury.
Following an MRI scan this week, Archer “is progressing as expected”, according to the ECB, after he sustained a stress fracture to his right elbow in January during England’s tour of South Africa, ruling him out of the March tour of Sri Lanka. Archer will undergo another scan in mid-April “before a return to competitive cricket”.
The statement from the ECB added that “Archer’s focus will be playing for England”, beginning with their Test series with West Indies in June. He will therefore play in the County Championship in May for Sussex “to ensure his preparation is optimal for Test cricket”.
For the next two weeks Archer will continue to progress to a full gym programme and continued running work. He will return to bowling towards the end of March under the supervision of England Young Lions coach Jon Lewis and Sussex bowling coach James Kirtley.
