England pacer Jofra Archer who has recently started to return back to cricket after undergoing two surgeries to his elbow to correct an issue has now suffered another heartbreaking hurdle on his way, as he was diagnosed with a stress fracture to his back and ruled out for the rest of English season.

Archer was scheduled to make his comeback for Sussex in their first T20 Blast fixture against Glamorgan on May 26, having last played competitive cricket for England in March 2021.

He had missed the T20 World Cup 2021 and the Ashes 2021-22 down under due to his fitness issues.

IPL 2022: RR's Kiwi stars Boult, Mitchell and Neesham recreate ‘Aye Meri Zohrajabeen’ song

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced on Thursday with a statement reading: "After being diagnosed with a stress fracture to the lower back, England and Sussex seamer Jofra Archer has been ruled out for the rest of the season. No timeframe has been set for his return. A management plan will be determined following further specialist opinion over the coming days.”

"We're all with you and we're all gutted for you, @JofraArcher," the ECB tweeted.

His latest back injury comes as a huge blow for England who are preparing for T20 World Cup in Australia coming up in October.

The Barbados-born Archer, who has appeared in 13 Tests, 17 one-day internationals, and 12 T20s for England, had a second elbow operation in December to address a stress fracture.

(AFP inputs)