Jofra Archer ruled out of Ashes as England drop Ben Foakes for Ireland Test

World Cup winner Archer was forced to leave the IPL early due to ongoing discomfort and subsequent scans have revealed a ‘recurrence of a stress fracture’ to his right elbow.

The England and Wales Cricket Board say Archer will now spend time with the England and Sussex medical teams, with managing director Rob Key still confident the 28-year-old has a future in the international game.

‘It has been a frustrating and upsetting period for Jofra,’ the former Kent captain said. ‘He was making good progress until a recurrence of the elbow injury, which kept him out for an extended period previously.

‘We wish him the best of luck with his recovery. I’m sure we will see Jofra back to his best and winning games for England, whatever the format. Hopefully, sooner rather than later.’

Meanwhile, England’s selectors have named a 15-player squad for the four-day Ireland Test which starts on June 1, leaving out Foakes for the returning Jonny Bairstow.

Foakes has been a mainstay in the team since being recalled for last year’s tour to West Indies and helped England beat New Zealand, India and South Africa last summer.

The 30-year-old, who averages 32 in Test cricket, played one of England’s three Tests in the Pakistan whitewash after a bout of illness, with Ben Stokes describing him as the ‘best keeper in the world’ during that tour.

Foakes returned to play both matches in New Zealand in February but now finds himself out of the squad, despite averaging 52.80 in the County Championship this season for Division One leaders Surrey.

In Foakes’ absence, Bairstow will keep wicket having returned to action for Yorkshire this month following a broken leg which ruled him out of all cricket over the winter.

Bairstow was arguably England’s best player in 2022 – averaging 66.31 with six centuries, including four in the space of five innings last summer.

Key, who was appointed managing director of England men’s cricket in April 2022, said: ‘It was a seriously tough decision to leave Ben Foakes out of the squad.

‘He has been excellent for England in the last year, but Jonny Bairstow is one of the best players in the world whose performances last summer epitomised what we are about.’

Elsewhere, Warwickshire’s Chris Woakes returns to England’s Test squad for the first time since March 2022 as he eyes a first Test appearance on home soil since the summer of 2020.

After taking a break from the tour of New Zealand, Durham fast bowler Mark Wood is back in the squad, while Surrey’s Ollie Pope has been named as England’s vice-captain with immediate effect.

England have also stuck with opener Zak Crawley, who averages less than 30 in 33 Tests and has failed to reach 20 in six of his nine innings for Kent this season. In his defence, he has also made 170 against Essex and 91 against Northamptonshire.

MORE : Mark Butcher proposes radical change to England line-up for the Ashes

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