England speedster Jofra Archer is hopeful of returning to the field very soon after battling a string of injuries in recent times. The 28-year-old is not part of England’s 15-man squad for the New Zealand ODI series on home soil.
England has named Chris Woakes, Mark Wood, Reece Topley, and Gus Atkinson as the pacers in the team alongside fast bowling all-rounders Sam Curran and David Willey in the team for the New Zealand series, as Jofra Archer could not make it into the side due to his injury issues.
Speaking to BBC Sports, Jofra Archer revealed that is recovering very well from the injury and is hopeful of having some luck on his side to return to the field.
“I am alright. I feel a bit hopeful as well, but right now I am okay with things going as per plan. You just need a little bit of luck and a little bit of hope,” Jofra Archer said.
England’s chief selector Luke Wright revealed that the team was desperate to have Jofra Archer for the World Cup in India but was forced to look beyond him due to persistent injury issues and said that the team is hopeful of having for the back-end of the mega event in India.
“We know how desperate we all are to have him – there’s no doubt about that – but we’ve also got to get it right for him. He’s been very unfortunate with these injuries.. regarding the World Cup, unfortunately, we’re just running out of time. Best-case scenario for Jof really at the moment would probably be [that he is] available for the back-end of the tournament,” Luke Wright said.
Jofra Archer was the key player for England in their title-winning campaign in the 2019 ODI World Cup as he picked up 20 wickets in 11 games and was the highest wicket-taker for England. The chance of him taking part in England’s 50-over World Cup title defense in India looks very slim.
England has transitioned into a formidable side following their poor run in the 2015 World Cup as they brought in a lot of firepower in the batting and the bowling department. They will face huge challenges to defend the title in sub-continental conditions and they will be boosted by the arrival of Ben Stokes in the England side for the mega event in India.