Jofra Archer has been left “distraught” after yet another injury nightmare saw him ruled out of England’s entire Ashes summer with a new stress fracture in his right elbow.
Archer has not played Test cricket for more than two years but had high hopes of returning to face Australia after a long and arduous journey that has seen him undergo several bouts of surgery on his elbow, as well as a stress fracture of the back which derailed his planned comeback last year.
But he is now facing another extended period on the sidelines and there must now be grave doubts as to whether the 28-year-old will ever again be available for the demands of the five-day format.
He made his first tentative steps towards full recovery earlier this year, featuring in England’s limited-overs tours to South Africa and Bangladesh, but his body has once again broken down following a stint in the Indian Premier League.
Archer appeared just five times for Mumbai Indians, bowling 20 overs in total, and made a mid-tournament visit to Belgium for further treatment on his elbow.
He reacted angrily on social media when news of that trip was reported in the media and managed to bowl at express pace after returning to the IPL. But he was sent home injured soon afterwards and England’s worst fears have now been realised.
He was seen as a key figure in ruffling Australian feathers, as he did during his Test debut at Lord’s in 2019 when an unforgettable duel with Steve Smith left the batter concussed by an unplayable bouncer.
Rob Key, director of men’s cricket at the England and Wales Cricket Board, said: “He’s got another stress fracture in an elbow that’s been trouble for a long time.
“I’m hoping at some point Jofra deserves a bit of luck with this, because the poor lad is pretty distraught about what’s happened and it’s only just happened recently.
“You just hope that luck turns for him at some point as I’m sure it will. I’m sure we will see Jofra back to his best and winning games for England, whatever the format.”
Whether he has a chance of featuring in October’s ODI World Cup, helping defend the title he delivered in 2019 by closing out the super over in the final, remains to be seen.
Archer’s stellar abilities with the white ball, allied to his long history of fitness problems, mean there have been long-standing worries over his Test career.
Key made it clear he has no concerns around the player’s desire to succeed with the red ball, but accepted it was impossible to predict how the future will now play out for him.
“Sometimes you get the feeling that the people think he’s going to go down the white-ball road and he’s not going to be interested in Test cricket, that there’s other things on his mind that come first. That’s absolutely not the case,” he said.
“He is desperate to play all forms of cricket. He’s been desperate to play Test cricket as well and I hope that he gets the chance to do that.
“But at the moment, all cricket’s been too much for his body to cope with and we need to get past that. You just hope that down the line he will overcome this, that body will get robust enough to be able to deal with the rigours of everything. I wouldn’t sit here now and rule anything out.”
It seems fanciful to think his modest workload in the IPL has forced an injury that would not have happened had be been playing first-class cricket with Sussex, where he would have bowled more in a solitary LV= County Championship fixture.
Even so, Key promised to pore over how England managed his return to playing over recent months.
“We’re going to look at every single thing we’ve done,” he said.
“Everything we’ve done has been what we thought was the right thing for the player first – not actually for anyone else – to say what’s the best way for him to be able to have the best career he can possibly have.
“The fact is that he’s not been able to bowl more than four more overs without feeling any sort of pain so, regardless of the way that we’ve gone, whether it’s been right or wrong, I don’t think I’d change anything.”
Archer played the last of his 13 Tests against India in February 2021 and went on to have two separate operations to try to resolve the stress fracture in his elbow.
He has since missed two T20 World Cups, including England’s victory in Australia in October, as well as the previous Ashes tour Down Under in 2021-22.
West Indies used England lessons in Bangladesh victory – Brathwaite
West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite praised his team-mates for putting the lessons of their series whitewash by England into action, as they earned a rare home win versus Bangladesh.
The Windies earned their first home Test victory in over two years on Tuesday, with two wickets from Alzarri Joseph helping them wrap up a 201-run triumph.
The best Bangladesh can now hope for from the two-match series is a draw, with West Indies snapping a miserable run of red-ball results.
They were beaten 3-0 by England on their most recent foreign tour in July, before going down 1-0 over two home matches against South Africa in August.
Speaking after the win in Antigua, Brathwaite said: "A lot of learning has taken place from the England tour. Test cricket is all about learning and that's what I tell our guys.
"We have seen a hundred here [from Justin Greaves] and that was a positive. It's good to get a Test win and we continue working hard."
While Joseph finished with figures of 3-69, Jayden Seales and Greaves also dismissed two apiece in Bangladesh's second innings, leading Brathwaite to praise his pace attack.
"It all depends on the surface, but these guys have different skill sets," he said. "We have to stay hungry, that's one.
"Some guys got big fifties, it was good to see but this Test is over. We need to keep at it. The fans' support means a lot. I have seen the guys supporting us not just here but also in the first-class cricket."
Bangladesh captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz also praised his bowlers, in particular six-wicket star Taskin Ahmed, but conceded they did not do enough with the bat.
"Think we bowled really well. Taskin got six wickets but they had a got partnership after they were down seven wickets," Miraz said. "Then the match was lost there.
"We didn't bat well in this match. I think we made a few mistakes but that can happen. We hope to come back strongly in the next match.
"We know what mistakes we made and we need to come back stronger. We will have a chat among ourselves. We have got a pace attack who bowled really well in the first innings. I am really happy with their performance."
West Indies end long wait for home Test win
Alzarri Joseph took two wickets in the first session on day five as West Indies wrapped up a 201-run win over Bangladesh in Antigua.
Bangladesh lasted less than seven overs on Tuesday, as the Windies sealed their first home Test win in over two years in style.
Joseph (2-32) dismissed Hasan Mahmud (0), before ending Jaker Ali's brave stand on 31.
That left the tourists on 129-9, and Joseph then sent a fierce bouncer into the shoulder of Shoriful Islam.
Shoriful attempted to push on, but lasted just eight balls before he was forced to retire hurt, ensuring Bangladesh's innings came to an end and marking an emphatic victory for West Indies.
Data Debrief: No place like home
This is the first time the Windies have won a Test at home since they beat Bangladesh in June 2022, ending a four-match winless streak.
West Indies have won six of their last seven Test series against Bangladesh (one loss) including each of their last two, and they now have an unassailable 1-0 lead with just one more match to play in the series, so the best Bangladesh can hope for is a draw.
Windies break home Test drought with 201-run win over Bangladesh
West Indies ended a two-and-a-half-year wait for a Test win on home soil with an emphatic 201-run triumph over Bangladesh in the first Test of their two-match series in Antigua.
The hosts' commanding performance showcased their pace attack's dominance and underlined their desire to return to winning ways in the longest format.
Bangladesh’s pursuit of an improbable 334 was thwarted on Tuesday’s fifth morning at 132-9, with Shoriful Islam’s retirement due to a shoulder injury effectively sealing the result.
Shoriful’s decision not to continue resulted from Alzarri Joseph’s short-ball assault on Bangladesh number 11, as West Indies needed just seven overs to wrap things up.
Scores: West Indies 450-9 dec (Greaves 115*, Louis 97, Mahmud 3-87) and 152 (Athanaze 42, Taskin 6-64, Mehidy 2-31) beat Bangladesh 269-9 dec (Jaker 53, A Joseph 3-69, Greaves 2-34) and 132 (Mehidy 45, Roach 3-20, Seales 3-45) by 201 runs
Alzarri Joseph set the tone early, dismissing Hasan Mahmud for a duck with a sharp delivery that moved away, drawing an edge that was caught low down by wicketkeeper Joshua da Silva.
Jaker Ali, the lone resistance in Bangladesh's lower order, seemed set to delay the inevitable but was later trapped leg-before-wicket for 31 after a dogged 58-ball stay that included four boundaries.
With only two wickets left, Alzarri turned up the heat, relentlessly peppering Taskin Ahmed and Shoriful with bouncers. The West Indies fielders joined the action, adding verbal pressure to the beleaguered Bangladesh tailenders.
When Shoriful was unable to continue after Joseph's blow, the match was called off, capping an aggressive and clinical effort by the hosts.
This victory marks a turning point for the West Indies, who last tasted a home Test win in 2021. The performance was built on a foundation of aggressive fast bowling and a collective resolve to dominate in all phases of the game.
Alzarri Joseph and Jayden Seales ended with five wickets in the match, while Kemar Roach ended with four, and Man-of-the-Match Justin Greaves had two to go with his unbeaten 115 with the bat, as West Indies, opting to play five seamers, was not disappointed.
Captain Kraigg Brathwaite praised the team’s effort, highlighting the bowlers’ role in the victory.
“A lot of learning has taken place from the England tour. Test cricket is all about learning, and that's what I tell our guys. We have seen a hundred here, and that was positive. Good to get a Test win, and we continue working hard. [On five-man pace attack] It all depends on the surface, but these guys have different skill set,” Brathwaite said in a post-game interview.
“Where improvement is concerned, we have to stay hungry is one. Some guys got big fifties; it was good to see, but this Test is over. We need to keep at it,” he added.
Now leading 1-0, Brathwaite and his team will be aiming to wrap up the series when the second match bowls off at Sabina Park in Jamaica on Saturday.
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