England fast bowler Jofra Archer will not play test cricket this year but is targeting the T20 World Cup in June, according to managing director for England’s men’s team Rob Key.
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.
“Jofra has been out with Sussex in India for pre-season and bowled quickly out there, bowled really well,” Key told Sky Sports on Friday.
“He has now gone back to the Caribbean where he’s going to play a bit of club cricket, all looking to get himself ready for the T20 World Cup", Key added.
Archer's last appearance in a Test match dates back to the tour of India in 2021, underlining the extent of his prolonged absence from the longest format of the game.
Despite making just seven limited-overs appearances for England since March 2021, the ECB awarded Archer a two-year central contract in October.
Key pulled Archer out of this year's IPL to better supervise his rehabilitation, and there is optimism about his progress so far. The four-match series with Pakistan begins on May 22, giving Archer time to get back up to speed, although an ICC provisional squad deadline of May 1 means he may already have been named in the World Cup squad by then.
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