Ashes 2023: Problems pile up for Ben Stokes and Co. as Jofra Archer faces another spell out of cricket

England fast bowler Jofra Archer was ruled out of the upcoming Ashes series against Australia on Tuesday because of ongoing problems with his right elbow that have limited his playing time since 2021. Archer will miss the entire summer of international cricket, England said, after scans revealed he has sustained a recurrence of a stress fracture to his elbow.

The 28-year-old Barbados-born pacer underwent two operations on his elbow in 2021 and was forced to cut short his time in this season’s Indian Premier League after experiencing discomfort in the same area.

“It has been a frustrating and upsetting period for Jofra Archer,” England managing director Robert Key said. “He was making good progress until a recurrence of the elbow injury, which kept him out for an extended period previously.

Mark Boucher has his version of Jofra Archer flying to Belgium#IPL2023 #MIvsRR #JofraArcherhttps://t.co/mOtiFbxYqb

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“We wish him the best of luck with his recovery. I’m sure we will see Jofra back to his best and winning games for England, whatever the format. Hopefully, sooner rather than later.”

The Ashes starts on June 16 with the first of five tests. England will warm up for the series with a one-off test against Ireland at Lord’s from June 1.

England selected a 15-man squad for the Ireland match and included Jonny Bairstow, who is set to play for his country for the first time since breaking his left leg and ankle when slipping during a round of golf. Wicketekeeper Ben Foakes was dropped to make room for Bairstow, who will play as a wicketkeeper-batter and starred for England with some explosive performances with the bat in the middle order last year.

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“It was a seriously tough decision to leave Ben Foakes out of the squad,” Key said. “He has been excellent for England in the last year, but Jonny Bairstow is one of the best players in the world whose performances last summer epitomised what we are about.”

With Chris Woakes back in the test squad for the first time since March 2022, Mark Wood returning after taking a break from the New Zealand tour and James Anderson shrugging off a minor groin injury, England has a deep stock of pace bowlers from which to choose. Stuart Broad, Ollie Robinson and Matthew Potts are other fast bowlers in the squad.

And that is without Archer, who exploded onto the international scene in 2019 by helping England win the 50-over Cricket World Cup on home soil and then starring in the home Ashes series that year in his first taste of test cricket. There will be doubts now about whether he will ever recover to play at that level.

“He will now spend time with the England and Sussex medical teams, who will work on his injury management,” the England and Wales Cricket Board said.

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England has won 10 of its 12 test matches since Brendon McCullum was hired as coach and Ben Stokes appointed as captain last year. Before that, England had won one of 17 test matches.

England: Ben Stokes (captain), James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood.