England fast bowler Jofra Archer will miss the one-day international series against West Indies with a thumb injury that also threatens to delay a potential return to Test cricket.
Archer will sit out the three ODIs between May 29 and June 3 and has been replaced in the squad by Lancashire left-armer Luke Wood, who was already included in the T20 party.
The 30-year-old will be reassessed by the England medical team over the next fortnight but has been left out of an initial 15-player group for England Lions’ red-ball game against India A from June 6.
Archer was omitted from the three-match T20 leg of the West Indies series having been earmarked to feature for the Lions in Northampton at the same time ahead of potential involvement in the Test series against India, which begins at Headingley on June 20.
Archer has been playing in the IPL for Rajasthan Royals
The paceman has not played a first-class match in four years and made the most recent of his 13 Test appearances in India in February 2021, with England easing him back into the international game through white-ball cricket after a horror run with injuries.
However, they are keen for him to form part of the battery of pace bowlers they take to Australia this winter as they look to win the Ashes overseas for the first time since 2010/11.
Archer has been playing in the Indian Premier League for Rajasthan Royals, taking 11 wickets in 12 games with a best of 3-25.
England’s white-ball assignments against West Indies will be the first in charge for new captain Harry Brook, with previous skipper Jos Buttler stepping down after the group-stage exit at the Champions Trophy earlier this year.
Woakes, Cox named in England Lions squad
England Lions will play India A in two red-ball matches, with the game in Northampton preceded by a fixture at Canterbury from May 30.
Chris Woakes has not played since December due to an ankle issue
James Rew will captain the side, while seamer Chris Woakes and batter Jordan Cox are included after ankle and side issues respectively and will be looking to press their Test claims.
Spin-bowling brothers Farhan and Rehan Ahmed are in an England representative squad together for the first time, although Rehan will leave after the first Lions match to link up with England’s T20 group to face West Indies.
Another notable inclusion is Rocky Flintoff, the 17-year-old son of Lions head coach Andrew Flintoff.
England Lions squad: James Rew (Somerset – captain), Farhan Ahmed (Nottinghamshire), Rehan Ahmed (Leicestershire), Sonny Baker (Hampshire), Jordan Cox (Essex), Rocky Flintoff (Lancashire), Emilio Gay (Durham), Tom Haines (Sussex), George Hill (Yorkshire), Josh Hull (Leicestershire), Eddie Jack (Hampshire), Ben McKinney (Durham), Dan Mousley (Warwickshire), Ajeet Singh Dale (Gloucestershire), Chris Woakes (Warwickshire)
England’s fixtures against West Indies
All times UK and Ireland; all live on Sky Sports
One-day international series
- First ODI: Thursday May 29 (1pm) – Edgbaston, Birmingham
- Second ODI: Sunday June 1 (11am) – Sophia Gardens, Cardiff
- Third ODI: Tuesday June 3 (1pm) – The Kia Oval, London
T20 international series
- First T20: Friday June 6 (6.30pm) – Seat Unique Riverside, Chester-le-Street
- Second T20: Sunday June 8 (2.30pm) – Seat Unique Stadium, Bristol
- Third T20: Tuesday June 10 (6.30pm) – Utilita Bowl, Southampton
England ODI squad
Harry Brook (captain), Gus Atkinson, Tom Banton, Jacob Bethell, Jos Buttler, Brydon Carse, Ben Duckett, Tom Hartley, Will Jacks, Saqib Mahmood, Jamie Overton, Matthew Potts, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Luke Wood.
England T20 squad
Harry Brook (captain), Rehan Ahmed, Tom Banton, Jacob Bethell, Jos Buttler, Brydon Carse, Liam Dawson, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Saqib Mahmood, Jamie Overton, Matthew Potts, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Luke Wood.
