Jofra Archer: England’s paceman won’t play red-ball cricket before the Ashes series

Paul Farbrace, the head coach at Sussex, predicts that fast bowler Jofra Archer won’t likely play any red-ball cricket before the Ashes series begins in June.

The 27-year-old is under contract with the Mumbai Indians for the “Indian Premier League,” which kicks off on Friday and ends with the championship game on May 28.

At Edgbaston on June 16, England will play Australia in the opening Ashes Test. Archer might play in England’s first-ever Test match against Ireland at Lord’s, which starts on June 1. However, his availability will depend on how well the Mumbai Indians perform in the IPL.

After spending 17 months on the sidelines due to elbow and back stress fractures, he rejoined the England white-ball squad in late January.

Throughout his 13 Test appearances for England, Archer has taken 42 wickets at an average of 31.04; however, his most recent Test match came in the 10-wicket loss to India in Ahmedabad in February 2021.

In May 2021, he played in his final first-class match for Sussex against Kent. Before the Ashes, Sussex has six games in Division Two of the County Championship, with their T20 Blast season beginning on May 26. In May, Australia’s Steve Smith will play in three county championship games.

But before England tries to recapture the Ashes urn for the first time since 2015, right-arm paceman Chris Archer won’t be playing for his county due to IPL obligations.

“Here at Sussex, we’re incredibly fortunate.” Former England assistant coach Farbrace remarked, “I think we have a great medical set-up with some wonderful people.”

Players like Jofra can transition from T20 cricket to Test match cricket and be fully equipped thanks to that.

“England is not stupid.” They are aware that keeping players like Jofra Smith healthy would be crucial to winning the Ashes.

“From a Sussex perspective, we should be stating that he must play in at least four championship games in order to be prepared, but that is not how it works.” “He is a centrally engaged player, and we want him to stay with this team for many years to come and play a significant role in the future.”