Giles backs Archer to shrug off fears over elbow injury

ASHLEy GILES has played down concerns over Jofra Archer’s long-standing elbow problem, insisting he will be ‘back and firing’ after undergoing surgery last week. Archer (pictured) revealed yesterday that he has set his sights on this winter’s Twenty20 World Cup and Ashes tour, and that any appearance before then would be a bonus. While Giles did not rule out bringing Archer back before the summer is over, he was clear about where England’s priorities lie. ‘I’ve talked a lot about our objectives in the T20 World Cup and the Ashes, and we need to make sure he is best prepared for that,’ said Giles, the managing director of England men’s cricket. ‘The thing that has held him back is that he’s had two different injuries in that elbow, and it stops him doing what he does incredibly well, which is bowl quick. That must be frustrating for him. ‘I’m very confident with the medical team we have and the surgery he’s had — which has gone very well — that he will be back and firing, and we’ll get him back as we’ve seen Jofra in the past.’ Giles also had some encouraging words for Haseeb Hameed, called up as batting cover ahead of next week’s first Test against New Zealand — following the freak injury to wicketkeeper Ben Foakes, who tore a hamstring slipping in the oval dressing room. Hameed has not added to the three Test caps he won in India in 2016, but is averaging 52 in this season’s County Championship with Nottinghamshire, where he has flourished since leaving Lancashire in 2019. ‘As we’ve picked him in the squad, we’ve got to think he’s ready,’ said Giles. ‘I worked closely with Has at Lancashire. He was promoted to the senior ranks very quickly and then went back a little. He’s now come again and averaged between 40 and 50 over the last couple of years. ‘He seems to have found his love for the game again. He is a really exciting young player, I loved working with him and he’s clearly found a home at Notts.’ Meanwhile, England are set to mark the start of the Lord’s Test next week with a gesture protesting discrimination. Players will be free to take a knee if they wish, though they stopped doing that after the one-day series against Ireland last August. It is understood the likeliest course of action will be a ‘moment of unity’, with the team standing together quietly before the start of the game. ‘Like all of us, they feel very strongly about all discrimination,’ said Giles. ‘There is a list as long as our arm of the different types. If it was an individual statement of some sort, we’d support that — they are adults. But I do think they are keen on doing something as a team.’