"Would be a significant loss if he wasn't there for the Ashes" - Sir Andrew Strauss on Jofra Archer

Former England captain Sir Andrew Strauss has conceded that Jofra Archer would be a massive loss if declared unfit for the Ashes series in June. Strauss acknowledged that the speedster's elbow has been a problem for a long time.

Archer's elbow injury seems to have resurfaced during his ongoing IPL 2023 stint with the Mumbai Indians. According to The Telegraph, the 28-year-old had travelled to Belgium for a minor elbow procedure, but Archer quashed those reports with a strongly-worded tweet.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Strauss admitted that it's hard to speculate on anything without knowing the full details. He said:

"It has to be a concern. Without knowing the details of it, it's obviously hard to speculate. That elbow has been troublesome for a long period now, a number of different injuries with it. It's easy to be over cautious, and perhaps that's what is happening now, but he would be a significant loss if he wasn't there for the Ashes."

Archer returned to competitive cricket this year for MI Cape Town during SA20. His first international game since March 2021 was against South Africa during the limited-overs series. However, the fast bowler has played only two matches in the IPL this season.

"It is going to be a tough series" - Andrew Strauss

Andrew Strauss. (Image Credits: Getty)

The 46-year-old lavished praise on England's aggressive style of cricket of late, calling it 'mind-blowing'. He also reckons the Ashes is an opportunity for them to take it to the next level. The former England captain said:

"The style of cricket England have been playing over the last 12 months, it has been phenomenal to watch, mind blowing actually. And obviously they have the greatest stage of all to show whether they can do it against a really good team in Australia. It is going to be a tough series I think, two teams that will go hammer and tongs against each other. I think it's going to be compelling viewing, really exciting."

England haven't held the Ashes urn since 2015 and Australia have won two out of the last three series between the two countries. However, England's form in the last 12-18 months has been encouraging, having lost only two of their last 12 Tests.