IPL 2021: Jofra Archer set to miss first half of the tournament
Jofra Archer is a prolific pacer from England who participated in the just-concluded five Twenty20 International series, which England lost. He plays in the Indian Premier League for Rajasthan Royals. To date, he has claimed 46 wickets in 35 IPL games at an economy of 7.13.
FollowEnglish pacer Jofra Archer is most likely to miss out on the first half of the Indian Premier League 2021. He would be sent home by the England and Wales Cricket Board to allow him to completely recover from the elbow injury.
According to a report by ESPNCricinfo, Archer would not feature in the upcoming three-game One-Day International series to be played in Pune between March 23-29. While the IPL begins April 9, Archer would be monitored by the ECB during this phase, besides administering an injection more before taking a call in his IPL participation.
Although his IPL side, Rajasthan Royals, is yet to announce Archer's availability publicly, it is closely monitoring the situation as well. Meanwhile, English limited-overs skipper Eoin Morgan has stated that the ECB would take the call, citing Archer's long-term fitness and added that injury has tide deteriorated.
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"We're not quite sure yet. We're going to wait until tonight and tomorrow to see how Jofra has pulled up. He's clearly had a progressive injury that has become worse and does need attention, so it'll be over to our medical team to make a decision and hopefully, the decision that Jofra comes to will be the best for us in the long term," Morgan said during the post-match press conference on Saturday after the fifth T20I loss.
"I think it's rare when a bowler isn't managing pain - what they do is a tough job and if you ask any of them, are they ever pain-free, it's a pretty rare instance if they say yes. Most of our bowlers are normally carrying niggles, but certainly, Jofra's situation has definitely got worse, so it does need attention," he added.
Archer has been playing for RR since 2018 and has claimed 36 wickets in 35 games at an economy of 7.13. While Archer is most likely to be fit for the second half of the tournament, the franchise has back-up plans ready if he entirely misses out.
