England pacer Jofra Archer said that he was "fully back" from his long injury layoff, but he doesn’t want to rush his comeback as he is following a slow path to returning to action in the international arena after being out of action for the last 18 months.
Archer has not played international cricket since March 2021 due to an elbow injury followed by a stress fracture in his back. However, the star pacer returned to competitive cricket with the England Lions, as he bowled nine overs and was 39 not out at the end of the second day’s play during the warm-up match against the senior side in Abu Dhabi, where Ben Stokes and his team are preparing for the Pakistan tour.
As reported by Reuters, Jofra Archer told reporters, “Yesterday was a really, really big day. A small day but still a big day. I will say I’m fully back. Obviously to get back to the first team is my number one priority but also getting back there as safely as possible.”
The 27-year-old continued, “I’d rather take these last few months very seriously, more serious than probably all of the rehab, because once this phase goes right then it can set me up for the next three to four years injury-free. I would love to play every game, but I don’t think the physio would let me. Our squad is strong enough that I can play all formats all year round.”
Meanwhile, Archer is not part of England’s Test squad for the three-match Test series against Pakistan, starting on December 4, but he is aiming to get a spot for next year’s Ashes series.
He signed off by saying, “I’m more than prepared to do some extra bowling and stuff in and around some other cricket, just to put my name in the hat (for that series).”
