Jofra Archer could be back bowling in an England shirt by the end of next month, with the possibility of playing some part in an internal Test match warm-up in Abu Dhabi.
Archer has not played international cricket for more than 18 months, suffering with a longstanding elbow injury followed by a stress fracture of the back while on the comeback trail this summer.
But the 27-year-old is making good progress with his rehabilitation and will travel to the United Arab Emirates at the start of November to continue his training and recovery work with the England Lions squad alongside fellow seamers Brydon Carse and Saqib Mahmood.
The 2019 World Cup winner is not expected to make a competitive comeback until the new year, but team management are considering putting him through his paces during a three-day tune-up game between the senior England side and the second-string Lions starting on November 23 at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium.
ECB performance director Mo Bobat said on Thursday: “He’ll be playing a meaningful part in all of our practice and let’s hope he can play some sort of part in the game at the back end of the trip.
“We’ll have to see where that lands and where he gets to. We’ll try and build him up safely. He’s very much ready to get out there and bowl on grass and starting to think competitive rather than just about his action and physical feel. We’re excited but trying to make sure we’re patient.”
Bobat revealed that Archer, a player who has only scratched the surface of his immense potential on the international stage and who would be a huge asset for next year’s Ashes, was delighted to get the call.
We had a bit of a giggle about the fact that all he's had is difficult injury news recently and he's missed having someone tell him he's been picked for something.— ECB performance director Mo Bobat.
But despite the widespread enthusiasm that news of his gradual return is likely to bring, there is also plenty of caution over asking him to do too much, too soon.
“I rang Jofra to talk to him about this training camp and he said to me ‘this is the first positive selection call I’ve had in a long time’. We had a bit of a giggle about the fact that all he’s had is difficult injury news recently and he’s missed having someone tell him he’s been picked for something.
“He’s in a good place mentally and is really excited about getting back involved. One of dangers is rushing people back too quickly so what we’re trying to do with Jofra is build that really strong base of bowling over a period of time so he is physically resilient enough.
“One of the things we try to protect against – I don’t know if it’s the right term – but it’s almost a reversal in bone density. They miss the volume of cricket they need to maintain bone hardness, particularly through the spine.”
