'No idea when I will be playing matches': England star feels he 'let everyone down' by Ashes absence

England's Ashes tour ended with a defeat in Hobart as the Joe Root-led side was put out of its misery with a 4-0 thrashing.

England's humiliating surrender of the Ashes to Australia clearly showed the difference between the two old cricket rivals. The 4-0 demolition of England also led to cricket pundits calling for a red-ball reset of the visiting camp.

England cricket team (Getty Images)

England also missed the services of Jofra Archer, who has had his fair share of injuries over the past one year, keeping him away from the sport for the most part of the season. The 26-year-old Archer was ruled out of action in May 2021 due to a knee injury, which was followed by two more surgeries to pile more misery on the Barbadian-born English cricketer.

Injuries kept him away from two major tournaments -- T20 World Cup and the Ashes -- and Archer was expected to return for the West Indies tour but a fresh injury setback ruled him out. Archer's absence was keenly felt during the World Cup & England's Ashes campaign, and the pacer himself has described missing the action as a tough pill to swallow.

"Watching the Ashes, I felt like I had let everyone down a little bit, when you see fast bowlers taking 90 per cent of the wickets - but you don't get injured on purpose. Of course, I want to be part of making this England team a success, but this past year has taught me that you can plan all you want, then something happens to change everything," Archer told the Daily Mail.

"The hardest two pills I've had to swallow were not playing in the Twenty20 World Cup and the Ashes but other than that everything has been so good since.

"With the Test team coming next month it will allow me to train with higher intensity as well. I couldn't have written the script. Everything's happened just for me, I reckon. That's how it feels," he further added.

Archer is reportedly not available for the upcoming IPL auction, further extending his absence from the sport. But the England star is in no rush to make a return as he's already waited "long enough".

"I have no idea when I will be playing matches, I am just trying to build up and it's all about what I can tolerate at any given time. That's all. I've had a few rehabs now and sometimes it can get to a level where you aggravate your hand, and you have to back off a little.

"Then, when you do come back a few days later, it's able to handle some load through it. I've waited long enough so it makes no sense rushing the last bit. I've got five months at my disposal, so it will be whenever I'm ready," Archer further said on his comeback.

England are trailing in the five-match series by 2-1 against West Indies. Both the teams will now be squaring off on Sunday for the fourth T20I.