England will continue to manage workload of speedster Jofra Archer to protect him from getting injured again and again. Archer was the hero of England’s ODI World Cup 2019 victory but has been on the sidelines for majority of the time every since.
He now has been included in England’s 15-man squad for the upcoming five-ODI series against Australia at home but will be used strategically.
“Jofra will have to be managed throughout the series,” England’s designated ODI skipper Jos Buttler told Sky Sports on Sunday (Sep 15).
“He’s played a really good stint now of T20 cricket, but obviously you can only bowl four overs in there. There’s a jump in intensity getting loads up to taking full part in an ODI – and of course, as an England fan, to push those loads up hopefully to get back into the Test arena as well,” Buttler added.
Archer has been eased back into international cricket very meticulously with his first international games after a long injury layoff being two T20Is against Pakistan in May earlier this year.
He then played all the games for his side in the T20 World Cup 2024 but has been put on workload management since then and hasn’t fully participated for Surrey in the Vitality Blast. He also played selectively in The Hundred before playing the first T20I against Australia earlier this month.
England’s interim coach Marcus Trescothick also echoed the same thoughts as Buttler and said: “He knows the plan. It’s discussed long in advance of picking the team on each day. We know what we’re doing with him, and where we’re going. He’s comfortable: he knows what he’s doing.”
England will hope for Archer to stay fit for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy early next year and the away Ashes in November 2025.