Premier English pacer Jofra Archer rued missing T20 World Cup 2021 and the Ashes 2021-22 due to elbow injury, saying that they were the hardest two pills for him to swallow.
It’s been almost more than 10 months since Jofra Archer played for England. The right-arm pacer flared up his elbow injury during his side’s tour to India last year.
The Barbados born pacer underwent surgery in March followed by a few weeks of recovery and made his return in the County Championship game, where he yet again struggled to bowl.
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Archer then suffered recurrence of a stress fracture on his right elbow and was ruled out of action for the rest of the year, which included IPL 2021, followed by the T20 World Cup 2021 and the Ashes 2021-22.
Speaking to Daily Mail, Jofra Archer admitted that the ‘hardest two pills to swallow for him’ were to miss T20 World Cup 2021 and the Ashes 2021-22. He said even though he’s not 100% fit but removing the need to go back to England feels like a real plus for him as he feels he’s stealing time right now.
"The hardest two pills I've had to swallow were not playing in the Twenty20 World Cup and the Ashes but other than that everything has been so good since. Within myself I know I am not ready yet but having access to the doctors, the physio and removing the need to go back to England feels like a real plus. I feel like I am stealing time right now," Jofra Archer said.
Archer said he isn't sure about his comeback and currently is just trying to build up to recovery. He explained that his training involves a lot of back and forth with the injuries and that he's still searching for the optimal levels.
"Right now, I can do everything but it's small steps. I have no idea when I will be playing matches, I am just trying to build up and it's all about what I can tolerate at any given time. That's all.
“I've had a few rehabs now and sometimes it can get to a level where you aggravate your hand, and you have to back off a little bit. Then, when you do come back a few days later, it's able to handle some load through it," he said.
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Talking about missing the Ashes 2021-22, Jofra Archer said that it felt like he let his teammates down after watching pacers taking 90 percent of the wickets.
He added that he wants to be part of making the England team successful but last year had taught him that things don’t go according to plan.
“Watching the Ashes, I felt like I had let everyone down a little bit, when you see fast bowlers taking 90 per cent of the wickets - but you don't get injured on purpose.
“Of course, I want to be part of making this England team a success, but this past year has taught me that you can plan all you want, then something happens to change everything,” he said.
Jofra Archer was seen training with England’s T20I squad, during the ongoing five-match series against West Indies. The right-arm pacer did some light training.
(Daily Mail inputs)
