London: England pacer Jofra Archer will undergo surgery on his right elbow on Friday, which could effectively rule him out of the first part of the five-match Test series against visiting India beginning on August 4.
Archer is already out of the upcoming two-match Test series against New Zealand and this will be his second surgery after being operated upon on his right hand.
"Jofra has been reviewed by a medical consultant in respect of his right elbow soreness. He will now proceed to surgery tomorrow," the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said in a tweet.
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The 26-year-old, who recently made a comeback in the County Championship for Sussex against Kent, consulted a specialist after feeling discomfort in his elbow and was advised to go for surgery.
"Further updates will be released in due course," the ECB stated without specifying how long it will take for Archer to make a comeback.
According to a report in Sky Sports, Archer "has received cortisone injections in the elbow joint previously, including during the India T20 series in March".
"But the paceman played no part in the first two Tests of the four-match series on that tour and sat out the ODI series too."
Apart from the five-match Test series against India, England will also face Sri Lanka and Pakistan in the white-ball series as well as play the ICC World T20, which will either be held in India or UAE depending on the COVID-19 situation.
