Archer hits T20 target in making England list
Jofra Archer’s latest injury nightmare is almost over after the seamer was included in England’s T20 World Cup squad, alongside Tom Hartley and Chris Jordan.
Archer, who has endured a horror run of injuries since his breakthrough summer of 2019, has not played competitive cricket for a year following a recurrence of a stress fracture in his right elbow.
After a slow and steady period of rehabilitation, he has been passed fit and takes his place in a 15-man squad that will defend the title Jos Buttler’s side won in Australia in 2022.
While the squad for the tournament in the West Indies and USA is officially deemed ‘provisional’, only further fitness setbacks will stop the 29-year-old from making his long-awaited comeback.
Jordan, Archer’s close friend and fellow Bajan, also returns to the squad for his fifth T20 World Cup campaign.
Already the country’s leading T20 wicket-taker among pace bowlers, the 35-year-old effectively inherits the role of senior seamer from Chris Woakes, who does not feature.
Hartley is the newest face among a group that also includes Will Jacks and Phil Salt, fresh from their eyecatching exploits in the IPL, and Ben Duckett.
He has nipped in front of Rehan Ahmed as the back-up spin option to established duo Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali, a reward for mature displays on his maiden Test tour of India.
Mark Wood and Reece Topley join Archer and Jordan to make up the seam department, with Sam Curran and Liam Livingstone the allrounders.
Harry Brook and Jonny Bairstow complete the top order batting unit.