Last Update on: May 5th, 2022 at 03:32 pm
England all-format pacer Jofra Archer has revealed that his rehabilitation process is going well and he has the full backing of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to take as long as he needs to return to being fully match-fit.
Archer has been out of action for a while after his elbow injury flared up again and this time around, he is not keen to rush back into the circuit. Thankfully for Archer, the ECB has asserted that they want him around for a long time.
“In a situation like this, when you are forced to have operations, you do think about whether you are going to play cricket again, whether you’re going to play all formats even. But the ECB gave me the assurance and peace of mind that they wanted me around for a long time.
“At one point I thought I was going to lose my [England central] contract when things weren’t going well, but now I have confidence about what the future holds,” Archer wrote in his column for the Daily Mail.
Archer intends to return to action by participating in Sussex’s matches in the T20 Blast over the coming few weeks. He intends to find out where he stands with regards to his elbow during the T20 season.
“Part of that is down to them not rushing me back. After my first operation last May, my right elbow felt no different at all.
“Obviously, I wasn’t going to fully know whether it had been successful until I started bowling, but what I can say is that things immediately felt different after my second one in December. Now, nearly five months down the line, it’s a relief the way things are.”
“Yes, there have been two surgeries but honestly, I couldn’t have written my rehab comeback any better. Now, I just need some game time to be able to put my trust in the elbow. I’ve not trusted it supporting me for a long period, so it’s going to take a little bit of work to do so and bowl at full tilt,” he added.
“I am not setting ambitious targets just yet” – Jofra Archer
The T20 World Cup is set to be held this year in Australia but Archer doesn’t want to think too far ahead. Although he would love to be a part of the event, he just wants to start playing cricket again.
“As for Test cricket this summer, I simply haven’t thought that far ahead. I’ve not had any prompts from anyone, telling me I’m a one-format player as yet. I still want to play everything, but my first task is the Blast and if I don’t play that properly, then I won’t be able to play Test cricket.”
“So the focus needs to be on the cricket I’ve got lined up and we will see from there. I am not setting ambitious targets just yet. All I want is to stay on the park for a full year without any more setbacks. I am aware there is a Twenty20 World Cup this coming autumn but I just want to be out there, having a good run,” Archer wrote.