'Shame on you, an already worrying...': Jofra Archer slams elbow surgery rumours

Jofra Archer (Pic: AFP)

England fast bowler Jofra Archer expressed his anguish at a report falsely claiming that he had left the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) this month to undergo surgery on his troublesome right elbow in Belgium. The 28-year-old featured in the Mumbai Indians' season-opener on April 2 but missed their next four matches before returning to action on Saturday.

The England seamer was unavailable for three weeks and missed four IPL matches in the process in what his coach Mark Boucher described as 'a little niggle', before returning for Saturday's defeat to Punjab Kings when he bowled his full allocation of four overs and showed no obvious signs of discomfort. The PA news agency reported that the England pace bowler flew to Belgium to see his specialist during a nearly three-week absence from IPL, and according to The Telegraph, he had undergone a minor surgery before going back to India.

Hours after the report was carried, Archer took to his social media handle, fuming over media reports about his surgery. "Putting out an article without knowing the facts & without my consent is crazy. Who ever the reporter is shame on you, an already worrying and troubling time for a player and you exploit it for your personal gain, it's people like you that are the problem. (sic)"

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The above media report has fuelled concerns about Archer's participation in this summer's Ashes. He has not played a first-class game since May 2021, when he bowled 18 overs in a draw between Sussex and Kent in the County Championship. In 23 months since then, he has bowled only 98 overs in competitive cricket, in the same time Jimmy Anderson has bowled 934.1, with none at all between July 2021 and November 2022 as he battled through a succession of elbow problems, a stress fracture of his spine, and surgery to remove from his finger a shard of glass that became embedded when he smashed a fish tank while trying to clean it in a bathtub.

Archer rejoined Mumbai Indians over the weekend and bowled his full four-over allocation, claiming one wicket for the cost of 42 runs in Mumbai's defeat to the Punjab Kings. He was rested for against Gujarat Titans on Tuesday but could again come back into the reckoning when Mumbai square up against formidable Rajasthan Royals on Sunday.