Jofra Archer has missed a second consecutive IPL game for Mumbai Indians after suffering an injury scare, sparking concerns over his fitness for the Ashes.
Archer returned to action for England in January after spending almost two years sidelined with various injury problems. After impressing on England's white-ball tours of South Africa and Bangladesh, he jetted off to India for the IPL and was set to feature in this summer's Ashes.
Captain Ben Stokes had already hinted Archer and fellow quicks Mark Wood and Olly Stone would have key roles to play as England attempt to regain the urn for the first time since 2015.
"Having the option to bowl above 90mph, any captain wants that," Stokes told Sky Sports. "We've been clear with the ground staff what type of wickets we want and they have been responsive. We want flat, fast wickets."
However, after bowling his allotted four overs in Mumbai's IPL opener against Royal Challengers Bangalore, Archer has not played since after experiencing discomfort in his right elbow. Although Mumbai coach Mark Boucher described it as a "little niggle", the news will concern England fans.
Archer has undergone surgery twice on that exact elbow and England are monitoring the injury, although they are hopeful it is not too serious. It comes after Archer himself admitted he does not expect to feature in more than one Ashes Test, given all five have been squeezed into a 46-day window.
"If I can play one game this summer, I'll be happy," he said last month. "If I can play more than one, that's just a bonus. I haven't lost an Ashes series as yet, so hopefully we can keep it that way.
"To be honest, coming back and playing cricket for England again means I have already done what I wanted to do. I said 18 months ago, I was going to be back, and now I am back, hopefully I have a long career.
"Sometimes you've still got that feeling in the back of your mind that you're still not ready yet. But for me, I just put that behind me and whatever happens happens. If you're supposed to get injured again, then there's nothing you can do about it."
