Archer injury casts fitness doubt ahead of England's Ashes home summer

Archer was ruled out of IPL, with a statement from Mumbai Indians earlier today confirming that the pacer would fly back to England to continue his rehabilitation

ECB released a statement shortly thereafter giving more details about Archer's recovery from the right elbow surgery.

Archer, according to the ECB, tried to push through the discomfort while playing in the IPL, but they have now decided to call him back home for rehab with the ECB medical department and Sussex County, "to give him the best opportunity for a full recovery".

It’s unclear what the timelines are for Archer to return to full fitness ahead of a huge summer of cricket in England, which includes a one-off Test against Ireland and the Ashes.

Archer had an underwhelming IPL season with Mumbai Indians this year as he struggled to find his rhythm due to fitness issues. He played only five of the 10 games this season, returning only two wickets at an economy rate of 9.50.

The latest setback casts further doubts over his availability for the Ashes summer, which is set to begin on 16 June. Archer hasn't featured in Test cricket since early 2021, and only recently returned to international cricket in white-ball formats after recovering from a series of injuries.

Archer had a stress fracture in his elbow in early 2020 that forced him out of action for the first half of the year. In early 2021, a freak injury at home meant he had to go under the knife.

Just as the England star was closing in on a return, Archer suffered a stress injury on his back in May 2022 that ruled him out for the entirety of the year.

After a wait of close to two years, the 28-year-old finally returned to international action in January 2023 and has featured in seven matches (four ODIs, three T20Is) against South Africa and Bangladesh.

He showed signs of finding his old rhythm, registering his career-best ODI figures (6/40) in just his second game back against South Africa.

During the IPL, Archer was continuously monitored by the ECB – he was unavailable for half of Mumbai's games so far due to elbow issues.