Talismanic England fast bowler Jofra Archer will miss the upcoming T20 World Cup and subsequent Ashes series in Australia with a recurrence of his previous injury; a stress fracture in his right elbow.

This means he has played all of his cricket for this calendar year, where he will take a break and in the hope that he can shake this injury off for good.

It is understood from BBC Sport the injury is due to be reviewed in the autumn, and, even when Archer is fit, ‘it will be for a period of white-ball cricket so his progress can be managed’.

This is terrible news coming at an even worse time for England. Having out and out pace is key to winning in Australia, and with Olly Stone being injured as well, they are fast running out of options.

To compound the misery for Root and England, there are doubts as to whether or not Ben Stokes will play in the World Cup or the Ashes.

In May, Archer had an operation to remove bone fragment from his right elbow. The surgery was unrelated to a previous stress fracture, which was discovered in early 2020.

All we can say is, get well soon, Jof! Not only does English cricket need you, but world cricket needs you.