England's Ashes tour of Australia appears to be going from bad to worse.
Star bowler Jofra Archer will not play in the remaining two tests due to a left side strain, a team official said Wednesday, adding to England's problems both on and off the field that include accusations of drunken behavior by opener Ben Duckett.
The 30-year-old Archer spent four years battling a variety of fitness issues, including stress fractures of the back and right elbow, but has been in strong form since making a long-awaited red-ball return against India.
The fourth test begins Friday at the Melbourne Cricket Ground and the fifth on Jan. 4 in Sydney. Australia has a winning 3-0 lead in the five-test series and has retained the Ashes.
Archer joined the squad at training on Wednesday at the MCG, but played no part in practice and a spokesperson later confirmed he was out for the remainder of the tour.
He had bowled a total of 80 overs in the games at Perth, Brisbane and Adelaide, taking nine wickets at 27.11 and maintaining the lowest strike-rate among England bowlers.
In the third test at Adelaide, he took five for 53 in the first innings and scored 51 runs.
Gus Atkinson replaced Archer in the visitors’ XI named later Wednesday while Jacob Bethell has replaced No. 3 Ollie Pope for the Melbourne test. Pope is averaging 20.83 with the bat for the series.
But Duckett, the subject of a team investigation after footage purportedly showing the 31-year-old intoxicated between the second and third tests emerged this week, has held his spot despite averaging 16 for the series.
England captain Ben Stokes said he had spoken to Duckett.
“I’ve obviously reached out, spoken to him and offered my complete support throughout this, particularly in a moment like this where everything feels like it’s on top of you," Stokes told Britain's Press Association.
"My job as England captain is obviously to be out there and get results for the team, but also to try to give people the best chance of being in a mental space where they can go out there and perform.”
On Tuesday, Australia said Todd Murphy would replace the injured Nathan Lyon as the team's spin bowler and captain Pat Cummins, as expected, was rested for the MCG test.
England team: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jacob Bethell, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (captain), Jamie Smith, Will Jacks, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue.
AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket
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