Will Archer bowl today: The English fast bowler appears to have aggravated his elbow injury while representing Sussex.
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During the third day of a Group 3 match of the ongoing season of County Championship between Sussex and Kent in Hove, Sussex fast bowler Jofra Archer walked off the field after bowling just five overs on a rain-affected day.
Archer, who had undergone a surgery on his hand which ruled him out of Indian Premier League 2021, appears to have aggravated a previous right elbow injury in his first competitive match after representing Sussex’s Second XI last week.
Great to have you back, @JofraArcher 😅 pic.twitter.com/W5RwExLz32
— Sussex Cricket (@SussexCCC) May 13, 2021
In the first innings, Archer had picked bowling figures of 13-4-29-2 but his role was restricted to just a five-over spell in the second innings. While there is not much clarity on the extent of aggravation at this point in time, another delay for Archer would be a huge blow for England ahead of their international summer.
Will Archer bowl today in Sussex vs Kent County Championship match?
Addressing the reporters after the day’s play yesterday, Sussex coach Ian Salisbury acknowledged the confusion around Archer’s availability for the rest of the match ruling out his chances of bowling today.
“I think there was some confusion about the state of Jofra’s [right] elbow. Ben [Brown, Sussex captain] thought he was going to bowl but his elbow was sore and there was confusion over that and he couldn’t bowl. He wants to win games of cricket for Sussex, as does Ben. That’s where his disappointment was.
“If you saw today he’s not going to bowl tomorrow. You’ll have to ask the ECB. Any time that Jofra can’t bowl you’re going to be frustrated as a leader, or as a team. But it happens. In sport people get injured. That’s life. That’s sport,” Salisbury told the reporters on Saturday.
Emphasizing yet again on the fact that Archer was keen to bowl his side to a victory at their home ground in his first first-class match for them in almost three years, Salisbury highlighted how a centrally-contracted player in Archer can’t bowl without England Cricket Board’s permission.
“He’s still willing to be out there because he wants Sussex to win. They [the ECB] had to give him permission to play this game. He’s not our player so they had to give permission,” Salisbury added.
Having scored 220/3 in the second innings, Kent lead by 109 runs before play on the final day of the match.
