Archer is currently back in Barbados where he will play club cricket as he returns to competitive action after 11 months out following a recurrence of a long-standing right elbow injury. The fast bowler, who turned 29 on Monday, has been able to join Sussex’s pre-season build-up, including the trip to Bangalore, with head coach Paul Farbrace declaring earlier this week that Archer was “bowling at phenomenal pace”.
Despite making just seven limited-overs appearances for England from March 2021, the ECB offered Archer a two-year central contract in October. There is a strong belief that he can emerge from a nightmare few years, in which he also suffered a fractured spine, to act as sharp as he burst onto the international scene in 2019.
Archer’s 2023 setback comes from his time with Mumbai Indians in the IPL and England duty during a week-long tour for the ODI World Cup in November. As a result, England opted for a slower, more controlled approach to getting back into order.
Key ruled Archer out of this year’s IPL to better monitor his rehabilitation and is optimistic about his progress so far. A four-match series with Pakistan begins on May 22, giving Archer time to get back up to speed – although the ICC provisional squad deadline of May 1 means he may already be named in the World Cup squad.
“Absolutely,” Key told Sky Sports News when asked if Archer had been considered for the World Cup squad. “Jofra, he’s out in pre-season for Sussex in India. He bowled early there, he bowled really well.
“He’s back in the Caribbean now, where he’s going to play a bit of club cricket, things like that – about getting himself ready for that World T20. He’ll play the Pakistan series hopefully. But it’s always fingers crossed with Jofra at the moment.”
Key also hinted at a return to Test cricket in 2025, with a high-profile series against India at home following the Ashes. Archer, who has 42 Test wickets at an average of 31.04, earned the last of 13 caps in February 2021. Rarely is anyone consistently able to deliver the ball above 90mph, and with a bit of patience, England will be hoping Archer can do it. Full return with red ball.
“What we’re going to do is take it slow rather than trying to go too fast so that we don’t just bring him back short-term, we bring him back long-term. And the whole plan with Jofra is to play white-ball cricket this summer and winter.
“Then hopefully next summer, when we play India, then for the Ashes, we’ll get him back into Test cricket. It’s a slow process to get him back to all forms.”