England's tearaway pacer Jofra Archer has moved closer to a potential return to international cricket and the four-match T20I series against Pakistan in May could witness him donning an England jersey on the field again.
The 29-year-old pacer was in Bengaluru recently as a part of Sussex's pre-season build-up. He is currently in Barbados to compete at the club level as he carefully makes his way back to competitive cricket again.
The managing director of England men's cricket, Rob Key, has confirmed that Archer is in consideration for the forthcoming ICC Men's T20 World Cup in the Caribbean and the USA and may feature in England's four-match T20I series against Pakistan at home.
"Jofra, he's been out on Sussex's pre-season out in India. He bowled quickly out there, he bowled really well," Key was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.
"He's now just gone back in the Caribbean, where he is going to play a little bit of club cricket, stuff like that - all about getting himself ready for that World T20. He'll play hopefully the Pakistan series. But it's always fingers crossed at the moment with Jofra."
Archer is gradually moving towards a return to cricket after battling a right elbow injury which has kept him on the sidelines for 11 months. Cognizant of how injury-prone Jofra has been throughout the course of his career, Key and the England Cricket Board are not in the mood to rush him and toss a red and a white ball towards him simultaneously.
"What we're going to do is take it slower than trying to go too quickly so that we get him back for not just a short period, we get him back for a long period. And the whole plan with Jofra is he's going to play white-ball cricket for this summer and going into the winter.
"Then hopefully next summer, when we play India, then into the Ashes, we get him back for Test cricket. It's a slow process just to get him back for all forms," Key added.
