Jofra Archer’s finger injury caused by bizarre fish-tank accident; IPL participation still in doubt

03/30/2021

England’s Director of Cricket Ashley Giles revealed that Jofra Archer’s mystery injury was caused by a fish-tank mishap, and further added that a decision on the pacer’s IPL participation would be taken in a week. Archer recently underwent surgery on his hand for what was said to be a minor issue.

The mystery behind Jofra Archer’s ‘hand injury’ has been solved as England’s Director of Cricket Ashley Giles revealed that the pacer needed to be attended to owing to a fish-tank mishap that he endured in January, weeks prior to the commencement of the India tour. The said incident is said to have occurred in Archer’s flat in Hove, where the speedster is believed to have dropped a Tropical Fish-Tank in his bath.

This slip is said to have caused a cut in the middle finger of his right hand, and while Archer did manage to play both the Tests and T20Is with the cut with minimal pain, Giles revealed that this ongoing window gave the 25-year-old an opportunity to get operated on his finger to avoid any further damage.

"This is going to sound like an awful conspiracy and I can see what's going happen on Twitter as soon as I say this. But, yeah, he was cleaning at home. He's got a fish tank. He dropped the fish tank, cut his hand, and he's been in surgery today,” ESPN Cricinfo reported Giles as saying.

"He's come out of it well. It was managed through India, he was treated when he arrived and it wasn't an open wound on that finger. It didn't stop him playing, but given he came home for an injection on his elbow, he went to a specialist because the finger was still a bit stiff.

"They've operated and I think they found a small fragment of glass still in attendance. It obviously healed but there was part of the fish tank still in his finger. So, it was the right thing to do. We've got a clear window to do it as well. We wish him the best for his recovery but it's true, it's not a conspiracy."

Unrelated to the finger injury, Archer’s participation in the 2021 edition of the Indian Premier League still hangs in the balance owing to an elbow injury the pacer is currently carrying. The 25-year-old was ruled out of the ODI series owing to the same, and it also made him miss two of the four-Test matches, as he had to get an injection on his elbow for the pain to subside. Giles did not confirm if Archer will be able to partake in even the second half of IPL 2021, but hinted that the ECB will try and manage the speedster’s elbow injury ‘conservatively’.

"We need to manage the elbow carefully. We've got a really good medical team. We don't know what's going to happen yet in this next couple of months. But our priority is to get both of these things right and get him back on the field.

"Clearly, with what he does, there's a lot of energy that goes through that area," Giles added. "We need to try and manage it as conservatively as possible, because this is a really important area of the body for Jof.

"We need to look after him first and foremost, but I'm pretty confident that he'll be fine, he'll be back as soon as he can."