England have suffered another blow in their shambolic Ashes tour after their player of the series, Jofra Archer, suffered an injury setback that will rule him out of the final two Tests of the series.
Ben Stokes’s side will be deprived of the quick against Australia in the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne and also in the New Year clash in Sydney after sustaining a left side strain.
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It is the latest in a long line of injuries for the 30-year-old seamer, who has battled a variety of knocks over four years, including stress fractures to his back and right elbow, but Archer underlined his importance in the red-ball side against India last summer and has produced impressive moments in an otherwise painful series for the tourists over the last month.
That has included an ECB investigation into a trip to Noosa, with reports likening the squad’s antics to a “stag-do”.
Archer will come out of the side, with Gus Atkinson his replacement, whilst Jacob Bethell is in for his Ashes debut with the beleaguered Ollie Pope finally dropped after a testing series.
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Jofra Archer pictured on his way to making 51 in the third Test in Adelaide where he took five for 53 in Australia’s first innings (Robbie Stephenson/PA).
He joined the squad at training on Christmas Eve at the MCG, but played no part in practice and a spokesperson later confirmed he was out for the remainder of the trip.
That is sure to lead to question marks over Archer’s future.
In the short term, he had been inked in for a leading role at the T20 World Cup and must now await the results of additional scans on his return to the United Kingdom. In the long term, there are now fresh concerns over his body’s ability to deal with the demands of the five-day game.
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Archer recently signed a new two-year deal with the ECB but this latest breakdown, after being managed with an excess of caution on his return to action, raises alarm bells.
He has bowled a total of 80 overs in the games at Perth, Brisbane and Adelaide, taking nine wickets at 27.11 and maintaining the lowest strike-rate in the touring attack.
In the third Test, he took five for 53 in the first innings and scored 51 to emerge as shining light in an increasingly horrendous tour.
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