England fast bowler Jofra Archer will miss the T20 World Cup and the Ashes in Australia after suffering a recurrence of a stress fracture of his right elbow.
The 26-year-old underwent surgery to remove a bone fragment from his elbow in May but made his comeback for Sussex last month and was expected to play a key role in both red-ball and white-ball cricket for England this winter.
However, he underwent scans last week that revealed a recurrence of a persistent elbow issue that has seen him miss a number of England games over the past 18 months and led to him sitting out this year's IPL as he sought to resolve the problem.
An ECB statement added: "As part of (Archer's) return-to-bowling programme, he became aware of increasing discomfort in his elbow during matches for Sussex in the Vitality Blast and a 50-over friendly against Oxfordshire. The operation [was] not related to the stress fracture that sidelined the player previously.
"He will now spend time on an extended break from cricket before returning for a medical review in early autumn."
It is a further blow to England, who are also without Ben Stokes after the all-rounder made the decision to take an indefinite break from cricket to prioritise his mental wellbeing.
The T20 World Cup starts in the UAE in October and England are aiming to become the first side to hold both the 50-over and T20 World Cups at the same time and Eoin Morgan's side must now do so without their premier fast bowler.
Archer's pace will also be missed in Australia where Joe Root's Test side will try to regain the Ashes and claim their first series win in Australia since 2010/11.
Source: Sky News