Archer keen on red-ball return

Jofra Archer has not played a Test for England since February 2021, but Brendon McCullum has talked up his prospects of a red-ball return.England’s Jofra Archer wishes to return to Test cricket almost four years on from his last appearance in the format, believes head coach Brendon McCullum.

Archer has not played red-ball cricket for his country since featuring in a crushing 10-wicket loss to India in Ahmedabad in February 2021.

Recurring stress fractures in his elbow and back have frustrated Archer in recent years. He returned to England’s ODI setup in March 2023, but suffered further elbow discomfort and spent another 14 months on the sidelines.

Having returned again last year to play the T20 World Cup, Archer played six of eight matches on a recent white-ball tour of India then featured at the Champions Trophy.

While England crashed out in the group stage with losses to Australia, Afghanistan and South Africa, Archer took six wickets.

That was at least twice as many as any of his team-mates managed, with Adil Rashid and Liam Livingstone taking three apiece.

McCullum, who now faces the task of juggling his role as Test coach with a rebuild of England’s toiling white-ball teams, feels Archer is set on a return to the longer format.

Asked if Archer could play Test cricket later this year, McCullum said: “I guess so, we’ll find out.

“I’ll sit down with some of the players after this and work out what their ambitions are. I would imagine Jof would be keen to play Test cricket this summer.”

England’s next Test is a one-off meeting with Zimbabwe in May, though that match clashes with the end of the Indian Premier League, in which Archer will represent Rajasthan Royals.

McCullum’s team then face India in a five-Test series before heading to Australia for the Ashes, which starts in November.

“We’ve got to make sure we’re doing the right thing by Jof and understanding the risks involved, but I’m pretty sure he’s pretty keen to play Test cricket,” McCullum added.

“If you can add him to the battery of fast bowlers you’re trying to build then it only strengthens the squad.

“Overall, I’m really pleased to see where Jof’s at and it’s great to see him back playing and injury-free at the moment.”

McCullum has been impressed by Archer’s impact after his long spell out, saying: “Jofra’s been out of competitive cricket for a couple of years, it’s taken a little bit of time to get that rhythm of gameplay back, but I think he’s been really good.

“He’s bowled high pace, he’s played a lot of cricket, he’s been able to get a significant workload under his belt throughout this tournament.

“We’ve seen moments of how great Jof is, even against South Africa with a couple of wickets he took and the other night against Afghanistan, three with the new ball.”