Former England captain Kevin Pietersen is absolutely gutted for Jofra Archer and is of the opinion that the pacer's career with the Three Lions is all but over.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), on Tuesday, Mat 16, confirmed that Archer has suffered the recurrence of a street fracture on his elbow while playing for Indian Premier League (IPL) outfit Mumbai Indians (MI) in the 2023 season. He has been ruled out for the English summer, which includes the home Ashes series.
"I'm gutted for Jofra. Absolutely gutted. I think this will probably end his journey with English cricket," Pietersen wrote in his blog for Betaway.
He added that Archer should now carefully manage his workload and give up on international cricket. The 28-year-old has been among the bowlers with the most injury concerns since the 2019 ODI World Cup which he won with England.
Recent reports have stated that Archer will be offered a mega deal by the MI franchise, which will mean he will represent their franchise in multiple T20 leagues, including the IPL, SA20 and ILT20, adding that franchise cricket might be the way forward for Archer due to his frequent injury concerns.
"I know that there are reports around a franchise contract, and that would be the smartest thing for him to do now. Take six months to recover, select a few tournaments to play, and bowl at the speed of light for a few months of the year. He would earn good money and still have a career in the game," he added.
Archer has not played a Test match for England since back in February 2021, against India in Ahmedabad. He has played a total of 13 Tests, 21 ODIs and 15 T20Is.
"I think the longer form of the game has passed him by. I think English cricket has probably passed him by. It's no fault of his own, he's just injury prone. As much as he would love to play for England because I know that's his dream, it's probably finished," Pietersen said.
"He should now just go and cash in as much as he can in franchise cricket. But first of all, get himself fit," he added.
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