England captain Ben Stokes mentioned that Jofra Archer is really eager to play in the upcoming home series against India and get his Test career back on track after being out for over four years. Archer had a great start with the team in 2019, playing a key role in their World Cup win and making an impact during the Ashes series against Australia. Unfortunately, injuries have held him back, and he hasn’t played since February 2021.
Despite that, England is still counting on him. Archer is set to make his first-class return for Sussex against Durham this Sunday, as part of a plan that might see him playing in the five-match series against India starting Friday. Although he has faced delays in his recovery from a broken thumb, that hasn’t stopped him from wanting to come back quickly, even trying to rush into last month’s Test against Zimbabwe.
“He’s really eager to wear the white shirt again,” Stokes said at a press conference. “A few times, he texted me asking about the Zimbabwe match. I just told him to hold on for a bit and not rush things.”
Stokes also mentioned that while Archer has had a tough time with injuries, he’s played a good amount of cricket in limited-overs. “It’s exciting for England, and for Jofra, that we have a plan in place for him to get back into Test cricket.”
Getting Archer back would definitely strengthen England’s bowling lineup, especially with major series against India and an Ashes tour to Australia coming up. If Stokes leads England to an Ashes victory ‘Down Under,’ he would join a small group of England captains to do so, but he says he doesn’t focus on his legacy. “I don’t really think about defining my career as captain,” he shared. “If I were too caught up with that, I’d say it’s pretty selfish, and that’s not who I am.”