England’s pace bowler Jofra Archer is likely to miss the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) season as national team coach Chris Silverwood has said that he wants the pace spearhead to play cricket with Sussex to get ready before the home Test series against West Indies in June. Archer, who has signed a contract with the Rajasthan Royals franchise in the IPL, has been out of action with an elbow injury earlier this year.

The 24-year-old pace bowler, Jofra Archer, however, said earlier this week that he had his “fingers crossed” on playing at some stage in the cash-rich tournament, IPL, which is all set to begin on March 29, but Silverwood wants him to work on his fitness under the watchful eye of the staff at Sussex.

“My priority is getting him right for England and our international summer,” Chris Silverwood said to the reporters during England’s warm-up game ahead of a two-match Test series in Sri Lanka.

“Sussex will play a big part in that and we will work very closely with them to make sure he gets the best preparation possible. The only things we have been talking about are what’s best for England and what’s best to get him right for that. We just want him to be fit, full stop. We want him to be 100% ready, 100% fresh and 100% fit for the international season,” he further added.

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On the other hand, England cricket board (ECB) had shared a statement earlier this week where they said that Archer’s “focus will be on playing for England” and playing for Sussex in May as well, working with ECB Young Lions coach Jon Lewis and Sussex bowling coach James Kirtley as well. Jofra Archer, England’s highest wicket-taker at last year’s One Day International World Cup, was signed by the Rajasthan Royals in 2018 for 800,000 pounds ($1.04 million) and the Rajasthan team retained him in 2019 and this season as well for his brilliance with the ball.