He last played a Test for England in 2021.
England pacer Jofra Archer has expressed confidence that he will be ready to play Test cricket for the country should he be recalled anytime during the ongoing series against India.
Archer, who has battled multiple injuries over the last few years, made his First-Class return with Sussex for the first time in four years. On Day 2 of the ongoing County Championship match against Durham, he removed Emilio Gay. He finished the innings with figures of 1/32 in 18 overs.
There were reports that Archer could return for England’s second Test against India that starts at Edgbaston from July 2. However, the 30-year-old is focusing on the present.
“Back then, I didn’t have the choice because I didn’t think my body could hold up to it,” the Sussex speedster told Sussex Cricket during an interview. “Now it’s a different challenge, because I know my body can hold up to it. The mental part of the game [will be tough]. Over the next couple of days, I’m going to have to battle a bit with it, but it’s all good. It’s a new challenge, and I’ll keep trucking along,” he added.
In 2020, the right-arm pacer sustained a thumb injury while fielding for the Rajasthan Royals (RR) during the IPL that year. That was compounded by injuries to his elbow and a stress fracture on the back, which meant that he missed a significant amount of red-ball cricket.
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Jofra Archer has not played Tests for England since 2021, when his team took on India in India. “I’m glad to just finish a day of four-day cricket. Last time I played [against Kent at Hove in May 2021], I just made it to tea, so I’m glad to go all the way today,” Archer said.
Former England captain Nasser Hussain has given a timely warning to England, saying that they should not rush the pacer back into the Test side.
“I would be careful with Jofra Archer. You know, it takes more than just bowling a few overs, come back into the Test match series. I’d like Jofra, if he’s going to come in to this series, to get more of a load into his body, so I’d be careful with that,” he said on Sky Sports during a discussion with former India head coach Ravi Shastri.
To date, Jofra Archer has played 13 Tests since making his debut in 2019 during the Ashes series that year. He has picked up 42 wickets at an average of 31.05 and has three five-wicket hauls to his name. He registered his best match figures of 8/85 during the Lord’s Test of his debut series.
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