"When You See Someone Struggle...": James Anderson on Jofra Archer's Injury
Jofra Archer (Twitter)
Jofra Archer, the fast bowler from England, has been ruled out of the upcoming English summer due to a reoccurrence of his elbow injury. After being absent from cricket for 17 months, Archer returned earlier this year during the inaugural edition of the SA20 league. However, his elbow problem resurfaced while playing for the Mumbai Indians in the ongoing Indian Premier League.
Expressing his disappointment, Archer's teammate, Anderson revealed that he was deeply saddened upon hearing the news. However, Anderson while talking to Sky Sports acknowledged Archer's diligent efforts to return to Test cricket and expressed hope that his injury would not keep him sidelined for an extended period.
“Jofra had a tough few years. With the elbow niggle keeps coming back. I am absolutely gutted. I know how much he worked hard to try and get back fit. Now, I just hope it isn’t too bad and he can’t actually get back. I hope he comes back as soon as possible.”
He also said that:
“When you see someone struggle with the same sort of injury, recurring injury, I think it’s only sensible to try and manage your workload, whether that’s just playing one format or two formats. I think that’s probably the sensible thing to do but that’s something he will have to work out with the coaches going forward.”
With the Ashes series just round the corner things are taking a steep turn for the England team. Pacer Olly Stone, sustained a hamstring injury that could potentially sideline him for a considerable duration. There is a likelihood that Stone may miss a few matches of the upcoming Ashes 2023 series, and in the worst-case scenario, he might be absent for the entire tournament.
Even Anderson himself sustained a groin injury recently while playing for Lancashire in a match against Somerset. The 40-year-old had to be carried off the field on the first day of the game.