New Delhi: England paceman Jofra Archer has been ruled out of the West Indies ODI series due to a thumb injury sustained in the ongoing Indian Premier League 2025. Archer, who is prone to injuries, has to be reassessed by the England medical team over the next 15 days to determine his return to the cricketing field.
Meanwhile, Luke Wood has been chosen as the replacement for the pace spreadhead in the squad. The first match of the series begins in Edgbaston on May 29. Since his entry into the international scene in 2019, Archer has struggled with elbow and back injuries which has kept him out of action for a very long time.
The pacer sustained the injury while fielding during Rajasthan Royals game against Kolkata Knight Riders in which the franchise suffered a 1-run defeat at the Eden Gardens on May 4. Although it initially seemed to be a minor issue but further assessments revealed ligament damage, and after the suspension of the league earlier this month due to tensions between India and Pakistan, he did not return to the country for this week’s resumption.
BREAKING: Jofra Archer is ruled out of England’s ODI series against West Indies with a right thumb injury ❌
Lancashire’s Luke Wood has been called up to the squad as his replacement pic.twitter.com/6plMvauhKx
— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) May 21, 2025
However, as well as his commitments in the Indian Premier League with Rajasthan Royals, Archer has featured in nine of England’s 11 white-ball matches since the turn of the year. The Royals elected against recalling the star paceman for the closing stages of the IPL after dropping out of contention to qualify for the knockout stage of the tournament.
He was initially named in the 16-man squad for the West Indies series but then subsequently got ruled out of the upcoming series.
England paceman Jofra Archer has been ruled out of the West Indies ODI series due to a thumb injury sustained in IPL 2025. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
