England’s troubled Ashes campaign has suffered another major setback with Jofra Archer ruled out of the final two Tests after sustaining a side strain.
The 30-year-old fast bowler, who only returned to Test cricket earlier this year after a long injury absence, will miss the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne and the series finale in Sydney.
Archer has been England’s standout performer in an otherwise grim tour, taking nine wickets and scoring his maiden Test fifty in Adelaide, where he also claimed his first five-wicket haul in six years.
His injury comes as a bitter disappointment after years of rehabilitation from elbow and back problems.
A scan in Melbourne confirmed the issue after Archer was restricted in Australia’s second innings. He will return to the UK for assessment, with England set to decide later on his availability for the T20 World Cup.
