England pacer Jofra Archer ruled out of New Zealand Tests due to elbow issue

England fast bowler Jofra Archer was ruled out of the Test series against New Zealand on Sunday (May 16).

The two-match Test series between England and New Zealand is scheduled to begin on June 2. The two Tests will be played at Lord's and Edgbaston.

Archer, who had undergone a series of cortisone injections to enable him to get through the Twenty20 International (T20I) series during England's tour of India in March, underwent successful surgery on his right hand upon his arrival from India.

While he also continued to receive treatment on his elbow. He resumed light training soon after that and was named in Sussex's squad for their County Championship match against Kent.

He bowled 13 overs in the first innings, bagging figures of 2 for 29. He picked up wickets of opener Daniel bell Drummond and England teammate Zak Crawley. He only bowled five overs in the second innings after he began to suffer pain in his right elbow when bowling and was eventually did not bowl in the final two days of the game.

"The England and Sussex medical teams will now seek guidance, and Archer will see a medical consultant later this week to determine the next course of action on the management of his elbow," read England and Wales Cricket Board's statement on their official website.

Archer first sustained problems on his right elbow during the tour of South Africa in January 2020, when a stress fracture was detected that had sidelined him from the final three Tests of the series, as well as the following one-day series.

England would want Archer, one of the key members of their squad across formats, to recover soon, considering a busy year for the national side. The 2009 champions hope to have Archer back in time for the upcoming T20 World Cup, which is scheduled to be played in October and November as the English side is aiming to become the first team to hold the 50-over and 20-over titles concurrently.

In addition to that, the year will also see the Ashes Down Under, a tournament is the "pinnacle" of their plans for 2021, according to Test captain Joe Root, apart from the five-match Test series against India at home before that.