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The West Indies and the United States will host the T20 World Cup in June, and Rob Key, managing director of England, has revealed that Jofra Archer is a contender. Archer, who hasn’t competed for England in almost a year, is also vying for a spot in the T20I series against Pakistan at home the following month.
For the past three years, the 29-year-old has suffered from injuries, including stress fractures. The bowler has only made seven appearances for England since March 2021. Last year, he made five appearances in the Indian Premier League for the Mumbai Indians, taking just a few wickets.
“Jofra has been out with Sussex in India for pre-season and bowled quickly out there, he bowled really well,” Key told Sky Sports. “He has now gone back to the Caribbean where he’s going to play a bit of club cricket, all about getting himself ready for that T20 World Cup. He’ll hopefully play the Pakistan series, but it’s always fingers-crossed at the moment with Jofra.”
Despite the setbacks, England are still hopeful of Archer returning to his best. He was a travelling reserve last year for the ODI World Cup in India and was also handed a two-year contract by the ECB. However, Key is wary of rushing the fast bowler that could potentially spell trouble again. “What we’re going to do is take it slower rather than trying to go too quickly so that we get him back for not just a short period but we get him for a long period,” he pointed out.
Key also confirmed that Archer will not be involved in Test cricket this year with the focus only set on white-ball cricket in 2024. However, the target has been set for 2025 summer for Archer to make his Test return against India. “The whole plan with Jofra is he’s going to play white-ball cricket for this summer and going into the winter,” Key said. “Then hopefully next summer, when we play India and then onto the Ashes, we get him back for Test cricket. It’s a slow process to get him back for all forms.”