Jofra Archer last appeared for England in March 2021, playing in the T20 series in India; she required two surgeries on her troublesome right elbow last year; “I haven’t gotten any indication from anyone that I’m still a player of one format. I still want to play everything.”
Jofra Archer last played for England in March 2021 on the tour of India
Jofra Archer has admitted his lengthy elbow injury left him in a “dark place” last summer, as the England fast bowler looks to return to action with Sussex County at the Vitality Blast later this month.
Archer last featured for England in March 2021, playing in the T20 series in India, while his last competitive cricket action was for Sussex in July last year. His troublesome right elbow injury, which has troubled him for over two years, kept him out of the T20 World Cup and Ashes series over the winter.
The 27-year-old insists he hasn’t thought about his international prospects this summer, simply relieved that he can expect a return to action soon, though he still emphasized his commitment to representing England in all three formats despite his struggles. injuries. questioning the future proof of him.
In his column on the daily mailArcher said: “I find myself in an uncharted place as I build towards the start of Vitality Blast this month, from a fitness perspective.
“Am I sure things are where I would like them to be before Sussex’s opening Twenty20 game against Glamorgan on May 26? Absolutely.
“As for Test cricket this summer, I just haven’t thought about the future.
“I haven’t gotten any indication from anyone that I’m still a player of one format. I still want to play everything.
“But my first task is the Blast and if I don’t play it properly then I won’t be able to play test cricket. So the focus needs to be on the cricket I have lined up and we’ll see from there.”
Archer, who has taken part in 13 tests, 17 one-day internationals and 12 T20s for England, first suffered an elbow stress reaction on the 2019-20 tour to South Africa, seeing him sit out the last three tests.
He returned to the fray in the summer of 2020, but the problem resurfaced during last year’s tour of India. He first underwent surgery last May to try to correct the problem, but a setback meant he went under the knife again in December to treat a stress fracture.
Archer, who retained his full ECB central contract, said: “Having entered a dark place last summer after the first trade, I can see why when people are not on the good side of situations like this, they sometimes have a downward spiral in mental health.
“It’s natural for anyone to worry about the future in that kind of situation, but not having to chase a contract gave me time to rest properly.
“Yes, there have been two surgeries, but honestly, I couldn’t have written my return to rehab any better.
“Now, I just need some playing time so I can rely on the elbow. I haven’t relied on it for a long time, so it’s going to take a little bit of work to do it and bowl to the fullest.” inclination.”
