Jofra Archer undergoes surgery after freak fish tank accident 

Jofra Archer has undergone successful surgery to remove glass from his finger. The piece of glass lodged in his finger while the England fast bowler was cleaning his fish tank in the bathroom.

Jofra Archer missed the ODI series after his elbow injury deteriorated during the India tour. The elbow injury has put Jofra Archer’s IPL 2021 participation in doubt, with the England pacer flying back to England to undergo treatment for the long-term injury.

Although Archer’s elbow injury is the primary cause of concern, the England pacer had a successful operation on Monday for an entirely different reason. Ashley Giles, England's director of cricket, confirmed the development on BBC's Tuffers and Vaughan show.

“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.”

The freak accident occurred at Archer’s home in Hove in January. The express pacer dropped the tropical fish tank in his bathroom, suffering a cut on his right middle finger. Doctors only discovered the glass piece when they investigated the injury after Archer flew back home.

"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."

Jofra Archer famously played both Test series and T20I games despite the injury. Although he played two Tests and got four wickets, it was with the white-ball where Jofra Archer was at his menacing best.

The fast bowler finished as England’s leading wicket-taker, with seven scalps across five games. Ashley Giles revealed how Jofra Archer played through the pain barrier for England.

"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 from 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."

Will Jofra Archer play in IPL 2021?

Archer is one of Rajasthan's most important players

With a T20 World Cup and Ashes on the horizon, England would want their frontline pacer to be at peak fitness come the two events. A decision on Jofra Archer’s availability for the second half of IPL 2021 will be taken later this week.

Ashley Giles has admitted the board is still in the process of finalizing a medical plan for Jofra Archer.

“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 the next couple of months. But our priority is to get both of these things right and get him back on the field.”

The Rajasthan Royals pacer was one of the stars of IPL 2020. He scored 113 runs and picked up 20 wickets last year. Jofra Archer was named the Most Valuable Player of the tournament.