Jofra Archer played for the England Lions against England on Wednesday. He hasn’t played since 2021 due to several ailments, but he bowled nine overs for the Lions.
Following his injury comeback, Jofra Archer has his sights set firmly on the 50-over World Cup in 2019
Archer has been out since last March due to elbow issues and a stress fracture in his back, but he had a strong performance in his first outing on Wednesday, bowling nine overs as the Lions took on England over the course of two periods.
With some experience in actual games under his belt, Archer is prepared to keep training hard and reach his goal of playing for England when they defend their 2023 World Cup championship.
Being back in Abu Dhabi with the guys, in and among them, is kind of heartwarming; it makes you feel like you are at home again, seeing all the familiar faces, seeing all the boys again, according to Archer.
“I am so, so happy to be back, and this is a big year, we just won the T20, and we have the 50-over coming up, so maybe I get an opportunity to help defend the championship.
“The target is a 50-over World Cup. I still don’t believe I have fully recovered; I still need to put in some more effort to get my body back in shape and working properly. However, the most crucial thing in the short term is simply to be fit.” Even though Archer had ambitious plans for the coming year, he was just happy to be back on the field, even if it did leave him sore.”
He continued, “This morning it almost felt like a bus hit me, but it is a fantastic feeling.
“Especially with the boys, I was happy to get some exercise. It resembles playing with them again in some ways.
“There are some limitations, but the coach and physio told me to use my judgment regarding how much I wanted to bowl. For a first run out, I believe I accomplished enough.”
Important: Archer is “quite a distance distant”
Although it was encouraging to see how quickly Archer was bowling upon his return, England’s managing director of men’s cricket Roy Key emphasized that he is still “quite a long way off.”
When you see him bowl 90 mph and two five-over spells, you might think, “Oh great, we can pick him up tomorrow then,” but Key explained that he’s still a ways off.
He will need to develop enough strength for the type of cricket he will play, and that will take some time.
Here are more stories related to cricket.