Jofra: I’m fully back!
Pace ace targets ODIs against South Africa in January — and wants to play all three formats
IN FRONT of a dozen or so spectators and a handful of children on a school trip, Jofra Archer ran in and bowled his first ball in an england kit since March 2021. It was a low- key setting on Wednesday for one of the most eagerly awaited returns in english cricket.
After an elbow injury and a stress fracture of the back, finally there is a sense the agony is over for Archer. Asked whether he was at perhaps 80 per cent, Archer replied: ‘To be honest, I’m fully back.’
That is news to delight england fans. And though the 27-year-old is not expected to make his full return for england until the ODI series against South Africa in January, there were positive signs during his nine overs across two spells in england’s warm-up match here against the england Lions.
Archer struck Zak Crawley on the head with a bouncer and the speedgun at the Tolerance Oval in Abu Dhabi recorded his fastest deliveries at around 90mph.
‘Nothing compares to being out there. This is the first time I’ve been so close to umpires in about 18 months as well,’ said Archer.
The 2019 World Cup hero has been in the UAe with the Lions squad working on his rehabilitation, but being back out in the middle was an emotional moment for the england quick.
‘My phone kept going off for a long time afterwards. My friends here said they couldn’t believe all the messages,’ said Archer.
‘It was nice and a really, really big day. A small day but still a big day.’
For Archer, the key now is to restart a career that began with such energy and expectation. he admitted he tried to stay away from the game during his time out. ‘Being back in Barbados, the time difference helped a lot with not being able to watch a lot of cricket,’ said Archer.
‘I watched some of the Ashes because it would come on just as I was going to bed, but you don’t watch as intently.
‘The wickets were really good in Australia. I’m not going to lie, it was a little bit painful to watch on TV.’
But he insisted that the desire to play red-ball cricket is still there, despite all the injury setbacks. ‘ Our squad is strong enough that I can play all formats all year round,’ said Archer.
‘To be honest, I’m surprised that I heard it (people saying he would only play white- ball cricket) so often.
‘You’d be crazy not to say you want to go to Pakistan. But that might not be the best move.
‘ I’d rather take these few months very seriously, more serious than probably all of the rehab. Because once this phase goes right, then it can set me up for the next three to four years injury-free. That’s the goal right now,’ he added.
england managing director Rob Key said the Test series in New Zealand in February would come too soon for Archer, but a plan was in place to give him the best chance of being ready for the Ashes next summer. ‘The absolute key for Jofra is that we don’t want him to go through what he has been through for the last year and a half ever again,’ said Key.
‘The plan is that his first competitive cricket will be a couple of games in the SA20, which will be a good lead-in to the ODI series in South Africa. Then he has Bangladesh, the IPL and hopefully the Ashes.
‘That’s the plan, but you have to be flexible.’