Follow UsJofra Archer is back, after exactly 1582 days, as England announced their squad for the second Test against India, on June 26 (Thursday). It took Archer just one first-class game, against Durham, where he picked up 1/32, to be cleared to make his Test return.
While English cricket, in itself, as a community, is divided over Archer’s return, England Men’s Managing Director, Rob Key, revealed that the 30-year-old will be part of the setup for the rest of the series.
"Jofra is such a talent," Key said, reported ESPNCricinfo. "He [Archer] was straight on the money. Bowling on a slow pitch, with good pace. He ain't gonna forget how to bowl, so when we have that call, we're not concerned. He will be fit and available for both [Tests]. Whether he could play both, we'll find that out afterwards, if he did play at Edgbaston."
What does the future hold for Archer and England? Key revealed that the ECB are planning to have both Archer and Mark Wood as an integral part of their red-ball setup for the near future, as they continue their search for the new Broad-Anderson pair.
"Jofra is another piece in that puzzle as Woody will be if he comes back at the end of the series. We don't know who's the next great England opening partnership - the next Broad-Anderson - because there's a number of those options that could be the mainstay of England bowlers for years. I can't wait to see who that will be."
Despite just bowling 18 overs, how did Archer come back to the Test setup? Key reckoned that you don’t have to teach ‘pure talent’ on how to perform, and with not a lot of moving parts to his bowling action, Archer was deemed fit and ready to fire.
"On that sort of scale, Jofra is close to the Mark Wood end. He's a pretty pure talent. There's not a lot of moving parts to his action in terms of complications, and he's 30 years old now, so he knows exactly what he's doing and what he's about. So it's more of a question of him just getting back into red-ball cricket.”