England’s Jofra Archer will return to international cricket after a hiatus of 14 months as he was named the England’s preliminary squad for upcoming Twenty20 World Cup.
| Photo Credit: ANDREW COULDRIDGE

Pacer Jofra Archer will return to international cricket after a hiatus of 14 months after he was named in England’s preliminary squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup in London on April 30.

Archer last played for England was in a T20I series against Bangladesh in March 2023. The 29-year-old was England’s leading wicket-taker in that series with four scalps from three matches at an economy of 6.63.

But since then Archer was forced to sit on the sidelines because of the recurrence of a stress fracture in his right elbow.

“Jofra Archer has recovered from his right elbow injury and is named in the squad,” said the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) in its media release.

From January this year, Archer has been working intensely on his return including Sussex’s pre-season camps in Abu Dhabi and Bengaluru, besides appearing in a handful of club matches at Barbados.

England, who are the defending champions, will be led by Jos Buttler, who had led them to the title in Australia in 2022.

Lancashire all-rounder Tom Hartley is the sole uncapped player (in T20Is) in the squad.

Meanwhile, Buttler (Rajasthan Royals), Moeen Ali (CSK), Jonny Bairstow (PBKS), Sam Curran (PBKS), Liam Livingstone (RR), Phil Salt (KKR), Will Jacks, Reece Topley (both RCB), will return home from the Indian Premier League (IPL) ahead of the T20I series against Pakistan from May 22.

It means that these players will miss the final stages of the IPL 2024.

“The World Cup squad will fly to the Caribbean on May 31 ahead of England’s opening group match against Scotland at the Kensington Oval, Barbados, on Wednesday, June 4,” added the ECB.

England squad

Jos Buttler (c), Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Harry Brook, Sam Curran, Ben Duckett, Tom Hartley, Will Jacks, Chris Jordan, Liam Livingstone, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Reece Topley, Mark Wood.

File photo shows Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer during a practice session.
| Photo Credit: Getty Images

Former England pacer Stuart Broad has backed talismanic all-rounder Ben Stokes’ decision to opt out of this year’s T20 World Cup due to fitness reasons but expressed concerns about fast bowler Jofra Archer’s never-ending injury woes.

Supporting Stokes’ pullout from the upcoming T20 World Cup in the Caribbean and the USA, Broad said the defending champions will miss his aura but have enough resources to replace him as a player.

“Whatever Ben decides to do for the well-being of himself is the right decision. Ben Stokes has made some incredible decisions in his career that have paid off for him,” Broad, a member of the Star Sports Incredible Star Cast, told PTI in an exclusive interaction at their studio here.

“He wants to get back to (being) the all-rounder that he was and he feels like getting some workload through the knee in a controlled environment, without the help of a scale to pressurise the nature of a T20 World Cup, is the best choice,” he said.

Broad hopes to see Archer in World Cup

While Archer has found it difficult to cope with the elbow injury to his bowling arm, getting an England contract for two years is a sign that the management believes the ace pacer would be back to his best soon. Broad said he is hoping to see him back in the World Cup.

“Yeah, it’s a concern. First of all, (he is) a friend of mine, a teammate of mine, an amazing talent for world cricket. He has got genuine pace, he moves the ball. He’s a match winner,” Broad said.

“We’ve not seen the best of Jofra Archer on the field now, for coming on, nearly four years. He’s played bits and bobs, but he’s had awful injury problems which is very difficult for him to cope with.

“I think there’s positivity from him and the England camp that there’s a chance we might see him in the T20 World Cup, which would be a great lift for England fans and cricket fans around the world,” he added.

Archer pulled out of this year’s IPL from the Mumbai Indians’ squad after he suffered another injury setback in November 2023, but he surprised everyone by turning up to play a match for his school team in Barbados, since they were on the verge of being relegated.

The England and Wales Cricket Board was not aware when Archer answered the SOS call and went on to play the game in December.

Archer’s injury keeps coming back

Broad said it is concerning that Archer’s injury keeps coming back but hoped that there would be an end to it eventually.

“It’s a concern that his injury keeps coming back, but he’s got some really good people around him to help lift him up and drive him forward. Ultimately, he’s signed a two-year contract with England cricket, so they must believe that he’ll come back to his best as soon as possible,” Broad said.

Talking about the T20 World Cup in June, Broad said the only aspect which England might miss about Stokes is the leadership he provides.

Stokes said his pullout from the World Cup is a sacrifice that he is making to be able to remain an all-rounder.

“England, of course, will miss a player of that aura. But England have got the quality to cover that. They’ve got the batting line-up that’s full of hitters and they’ve got some good pace bowling options and spin bowling options,” he said.

“They’ll miss the aura and the leadership skills of Ben Stokes, but they can cover him as a player,” Broad added.

Having recently retired, Broad said he wants to explore all opportunities to remain associated with the game and remains open to taking up coaching gigs as well.

“I’m interested in everything. I think having only retired from the playing side in August, I wanted to see… I didn’t want to sort of dive into anything really specifically straight away. I wanted to see loads of different career paths, to see what I really enjoy,” he said.

“Ultimately, cricket is my greatest hobby. I love talking about the game. I love being a part of the game. Whether that’s being a pundit, commentary, coaching, just being part of the sport is incredible.

“I love the game of cricket. I love watching it. I love playing it and I will always be a part of it,” he added.