Jofra Archer’s latest injury nightmare is almost over after the seamer was included in England’s T20 World Cup squad, alongside uncapped spinner Tom Hartley and veteran seamer Chris Jordan.
Archer, who has endured a horror run of injuries since his breakthrough summer of 2019, has not played competitive cricket for a year following a recurrence of a stress fracture in his right elbow.
But after a slow and steady period of rehabilitation he has been passed fit and takes his place in a 15-man squad that will defend the title Jos Buttler’s side won in Australia in 2022.
While the squad is officially deemed ‘provisional’, with just 24 hours until the International Cricket Council’s deadline and no reserve players named, only further fitness setbacks will stop the 29-year-old making his long-awaited comeback.
Archer has managed just 15 T20 appearances since making his international debut five years ago, but is still considered a potential game-changer in the format and, having grown up in Barbados, knows the Caribbean conditions where England will play their games better than most.
Archer’s close friend and fellow Bajan, Chris Jordan, also returns to the squad for his fifth T20 World Cup campaign.
Already the country’s leading T20 wicket-taker among pace bowlers, the 35-year-old effectively inherits the role of senior seamer from Chris Woakes, who does not feature after disappointing returns in England’s 50-over World Cup washout in India this winter.
There are nine survivors from that tournament, with Hartley the newest face among a group that also includes Will Jacks and Phil Salt fresh from their eye-catching exploits in the Indian Premier League and the versatile Ben Duckett as a spare batter.
Hartley has nipped in front of Rehan Ahmed as the back-up spin option to established duo Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali, a reward for his mature displays on his maiden Test tour of India.
Despite his creditable showings with the red ball, Hartley has more experience as a limited-overs player as a regular for Lancashire in the Vitality Blast and Manchester Originals in The Hundred.
Mark Wood and Reece Topley join Archer and Jordan to make up the seam department, with 2022’s player of the tournament Sam Curran and Liam Livingstone the all-rounders.
Harry Brook and Jonny Bairstow complete the top order batting unit, with the latter having banished a run of indifferent form with a timely century for Punjab Kings last week.
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