Jofra Archer is set to make his long-awaited England return in the upcoming ODI series against South Africa, having last featured on the international stage almost two years ago.
Archer last played for England in March 2021, having first been sidelined by an elbow injury that required two operations and then suffering a stress fracture of the back. However, the 27-year-old is now back fully fit, having made four appearances for MI Cape Town in the SA20 where he has picked up five wickets at 21.40 and regularly been clocked at 90mph+.
Archer's return is a welcome one for England, with the quick stating his "goal" is to help England defend the 50-over World Cup he helped them win back in 2019. However, before the World Cup in October, England hope to regain the Ashes from Australia and new Test captain Ben Stokes has said he is desperate to have a "fit and ready" Archer at his disposal.
"He's had a long time off with injury and as exciting as it is, we've got to be careful not to rush him back because we don't want to see Jofra on the sidelines for this amount of [time] again," Stokes said after Archer featured in an England warm-up game in November.
"Hopefully, we can have Jofra fit and ready for the Ashes. That's something we're looking at and it would be great to have him available for selection."
And according to the Daily Mail, Stokes and Archer held talks during the SA20 about his Test match future. The report states that Archer told Stokes he remains keen to play red-ball cricket despite his recent injury woes, with the Sussex star 'inspired by England's extraordinary revival' under Stokes and Brendon McCullum.
Following the South Africa series, England are planning for Archer to feature in the white-ball tour of Bangladesh in March before he heads off to the IPL to play for Mumbai Indians.
As a result, Archer is unlikely to play any first-class cricket before the Ashes begins, but England have not hesitated to pick players without much recent first-class game time under Stokes and McCullum.
All-rounder Liam Livingstone made his Test debut against Pakistan in December despite not playing a first-class match since September 2021, while fast bowler Olly Stone looks set to make his Test return against New Zealand next month having not played a first-class game since his last Test in June 2021.
