Jofra Archer’s long-awaited return to red-ball cricket is finally set to happen, despite a bizarre twist from Sussex. On Saturday, the county named a 12-man squad for their County Championship fixture against Durham, but Archer was missing, which raised fresh fears about another injury setback.
Interesting case of Jofra Archer
Given England selector Luke Wright had earlier confirmed Archer was scheduled to play at Chester-le-Street, the omission was concerning. Many fans feared for the worst. However, according to The Daily Mail, England officials quickly stepped in to clarify that Archer will indeed take the field on Sunday, and the exclusion from Sussex’s official squad was simply a case of trying to avoid excessive media attention.
It’s been four years since Archer last bowled in a first-class game, ironically also for Sussex, a match he couldn’t finish due to a right elbow injury.
ENG vs IND 2nd Test in sight
England captain Ben Stokes recently revealed how desperate Archer has been to resume his Test career, even texting “Zim?” ahead of England’s one-off game against Zimbabwe. Though he missed the first Test against India due to a thumb injury sustained in the IPL, Archer remains firmly in England’s plans for the five-match series.
If he gets through the Durham match unscathed, Archer could be drafted in for the second Test at Edgbaston starting July 2. With England’s bowling attack under pressure following India’s strong start in Leeds, the return of a fit Archer could be game-changing.
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