Archer not worried about missing India Tests; aims to be fit for T20 World Cup, Ashes

England fast bowler Jofra Archer says that he is fine with not playing cricket the entire summer given that he has had surgery on his right elbow. He adds that his aim is to return in time for the T20 World Cup and The Ashes, which are slated later this year and will not mind missing out on the five-Test series against India, scheduled to begin on August 4.

Archer recently had surgery on his right elbow - something that bothered him a lot over the last few months. "One thing I am determined about the post-elbow operation is not to rush my comeback because my primary focus is to be playing for England in the Twenty20 World Cup and Ashes later this year," Archer wrote in his column on Daily Mail.

"Those are my targets. If I come back before then and manage to play in the home Test series against India — then fine, so be it. If I don’t, I am quite prepared to sit out the summer. The way I am looking at things is that I would rather miss a few weeks of a year so that I have a few more years in my career," he added.

Archer also acknowledged the fact that if he does not get his injury sorted and returns in a hurry, he may not able able to play any cricket. "I just want to get this injury sorted once and for all and that’s why I’m not looking that far ahead or at dates for a return to action — because if I don’t get this right, I won’t play any cricket. Period," the 2019 World Cup winner wrote.

"I am not going to do myself any good by coming back before I’m fully fit, so I will take my time and do what is best for me and my life," he further added.

Archer returned to action after a long layoff in the County Championship match against Kent in which he picked up a couple of wickets. He was ruled out of the Test series against New Zealand after that and decided to go ahead with the surgery.

"After playing for Sussex against Kent earlier this month, it wasn’t a difficult decision to go down the surgery route because trying to manage the injury with rest and pain-killing injections clearly wasn’t working," the 26-year-old wrote.

"I remain committed to playing all three formats for England and to winning big series. But it has been quite a while since I bowled completely pain-free," he added.