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Jofra Archer Ruled Out Of New Zealand Tests After Elbow Injury Resurfaces

Jofra Archer ruled out of New Zealand Tests after elbow injury resurfaces

In what comes as a huge setback for England and Jofra Archer, the right-arm fast bowler has been ruled out of the upcoming two-match Test series against New Zealand. The news was confirmed by the English and Wales Cricket Board on Sunday. Archer who returned to action in the County Championship match for Sussex against Kent just bowled five overs in the second innings before complaining of pain in the right elbow. He walked off the pitch and did not return to bowl in the final two days of the game.

The elbow injury has kept Archer out of the squad on and off for quite some time now. Despite the recurring injury, Archer played in the limited-overs series against India but was forced to bow out of the Indian Premier League soon after. He underwent surgery to remove a piece of glass from his hand. It was followed by a rigorous rehabilitation process owing to the long-standing elbow injury.

Archer had first suffered the elbow injury back in late 2019 during England’s tour to South Africa, then diagnosed as a stress fracture which had occurred due to poor workload management. He did recover in time to ply his trade in the 2020 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in UAE but the problem came back to haunt him again during the tour of India earlier this year. He was forced to miss the Test series and despite playing in the limited-overs series, he was far from his usual best.

Archer came roaring into action bagging two quick wickets of Kent in the first innings before going back to the pavilion complaining of pain in his right elbow. He didn’t come out to bowl in the last two days of the match.

"The England and Sussex medical teams will now seek guidance, and Archer will see a medical consultant later this week to determine the next course of action on the management of his elbow," said the ECB media release.

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