England fast bowler Jofra Archer has, on Wednesday (December 8), expressed his disappointment over missing the ongoing Ashes 2021-22 due to the recurrence of a stress fracture in his right elbow, saying a fast bowler wouldn’t ever want to miss the Australia tour.
Archer has been out of cricketing action since August this year due to an elbow injury, which forced him to miss the recent T20 World Cup 2021 and the ongoing Ashes series in Australia. He has not played for England since March 2021 and has been spending time with his family in Barbados.
However, the 26-year-old has recently returned to England for further scans and gave a positive update on his recovery from the stress fracture in his right elbow.
Archer told Australia’s Channel Seven: “It was a tough one to take in seeing the ball seaming and bouncing about a bit. Jeez, this is really one cricket tour as a fast bowler that you don’t want to miss.”
Meanwhile, England didn’t pick both Stuart Broad and James Anderson for the ongoing first Test of the Ashes series against Australia at The Gabba, Brisbane, raising questions on Joe Root and team management’s decision-making, but Archer backed his skipper over the move.
Notably, this is the first time either of Anderson or Broad haven’t featured in England’s playing eleven in the Ashes Test match since 2006.
Jofra said on the same: “Well, they look pretty balanced. I’m not too sure about the reasoning why either Jimmy or Broady isn’t in the team. But I know that Rooty is a very smart man and I know that he probably would have weighed up all the options and this might have been the best plan or the best team to go into the first Test with so I’m just going to back him on that.”
He further explained, “Honestly, I don’t think any team will be planning to be all-out, especially before the end of the play. There is still another session of cricket to go. But hopefully, the luck can go both ways and we can have them 2 or 3 down before the end of the play. There’s no reason why we shouldn’t go out there and get them out for under the same 147. Hoping that guys give it their best shot.”
Archer also shared an update on his recovery from an elbow injury. He signed off by saying, “I think the second last bit of scans got done. The results came out just yesterday and it is looking quite promising, actually. Everything is moving forward nicely. It is just a matter of waiting a little bit more and being a little bit patient. I’m almost at the end of the road.”
