The managing director of England, has revealed that Jofra Archer is a contender for the T20 World Cup in June hosted in West Indies and the United States. Archer, who hasn't competed for England in over 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, now 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 couple of wickets.
"Jofra has been out with Sussex in India for pre-season and bowled quickly out there, he bowled really well," Key stated to Sky Sports. "In an attempt to prepare for the T20 World Cup, he has returned to the Caribbean and will play some club cricket there. He'll ideally play in the Pakistan series, but with Jofra, things are always up in the air right now."
Even with the setbacks, England remains optimistic that Archer will reach his peak again. In addition to receiving a two-year contract from the ECB, he was a travelling reserve for the ODI World Cup in India the previous year. But Key is hesitant to hurry the fast bowler since that could lead to complications once more. "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 said.
Key further stated that Archer's main concentration will be on white-ball cricket in 2024 and that he will not be participating in Test cricket this year. However, the goal is for Archer to play his first Test match against India in the summer of 2025. "The whole plan with Jofra is he's going to play white-ball cricket for this summer and going into the winter," Key stated. "Hopefully, we get him back for Test cricket next summer when we play India and then the Ashes." Getting him back in any manner takes time."
