Brendon McCullum is optimistic that he will be able to choose Jofra Archer for Cricket Test in 2025, but is careful about returning to fast damaged players in England.
It is just more than four years since Archer last appeared in the longest format, with a chronic elbow and damages the reasons for his career to be separated starting on stage in 2019.
Consignment management has been the focus on Archer’s last return from the damage, with the 29-year-old limited to T20S first and then ODI, with a wider view of him facing India at home and Australia away in the Marquee trial series next year.
An Indian Premier League tendency calls on England’s early appearance in the champions trophy, but McCullum is the hope that Archer will return to the whites and is ready for a series of marquee with five games against India.
“We know how brilliant Jafra is on top of his game and turning it, capable and excited to play is a real victory for English cricket,” said England McCullum.
“We are to make sure we are always doing the right thing from JOF and understanding the risks involved, but I am very sure he is very inclined to play the test cricket.
“If you can add it to the fast players battery you are trying to build, then it just strengthens the team.
“I will sit with some of the players after that and work on what their ambitions are. I would imagine that JOF would be inclined to play Cricket Test this summer.”
Archer got 2-55 in the shock of seven wins of England from South Africa to Karachi on Saturday while Jos Buttler’s white ball captain ended up in bad fashion with a seven-consecutive loss ODI.
All six of his wicks – Adil Rashid and Liam Livingstone were the best on the list for England with three – arrived in the first 10 Powerplay to demonstrate his power with the new ball.
He was not so effective in his second and third spells, but coming during the unsafe winter and playing in nine of 11 games, losing the other two with a cut in hand, is a massive plus.
“Jafra has been out of competitive cricket for several years, it took some time to restore that pace of play, but I think he was really good,” McCulum added.
“He has bent at high rhythms, he has played a lot of crickets, he has been able to get a considerable workload under his belt throughout this tournament. We have seen moments of how big is JOF.
“Overall, I am really pleased to see where it is JOF and it is best to see it again playing and no injuries at the moment.”
