England will be careful with Jofra Archer's return, says Ashley Giles

HUW TURBERVILL: Giles, England men's managing director, discusses Archer's recovery from elbow surgery, Ben Foakes' hamstring injury and Haseeb Hameed's return to the Test fold

England fans will likely have to settle for a Jofra-less summer, Ashley Giles has admitted.

The depressing news about Archer’s right elbow - teed up in his Daily Mail column - was confirmed by England men’s managing director.

Those brilliant, blistering bursts could well have to wait until the T20 World Cup and the Ashes.

“I can't give the medical details, that would be wrong,” said Giles. “I can speak in layman's terms. Jof has been quoted this morning around his long-term concerns and all of these injuries carry a certain amount of risk. That's why we look at all the conservative options first before you head into surgery. I'm confident with the medical team we have and the surgery he's had, which has gone very well, that Jof will be back and firing. 

“Any of us who have had surgeries of those sorts in the past, they definitely make you edgy and nervous. But we are confident he'll be back and ready to go at some point later in the year, and get him back as we’ve seen Jofra in the past - that the shackles will be off and that he can come back and do what he loves doing.

“I’ve talked a lot about our objectives in the T20 World Cup and the Ashes and we need to make sure he is best prepared for that. If it went swimmingly, we may see him earlier but we’re not going to put any deadlines on it. If there was an opportunity to go back at some point (to Barbados), perhaps we should support that. But the most important thing for him and us is to make sure he has the right care and rehabilitation on that elbow.”

England really need the 26-year-old in Australia - Steve Smith will be monitoring events as closely as anyone.

^{Jofra Archer will miss England's series against New Zealand with an elbow problem}

Giles says he does not know of any requests by India to shift the series forward a week to accommodate an IPL resumption. “I'm not aware of anything official. As far as we're concerned and what we're prepared for, the matches will be where they are. That's all I really know at the moment and what we're gearing up for.”

New Zealand’s IPL contingent are available for the series, England’s are not. It is upsetting for those who savour the sanctity of Test cricket - albeit with the Blackcaps in the World Test Championship final against India at the Rose Bowl after the two Tests, you can perhaps understand it a bit more. Coach Chris Silverwood now calls the selection shots after the departure of Ed Smith.

“All of that was communication between Chris and each of the players,” said Giles. “I think we felt the best option was for them to take as much time as they needed and required after what they have been through this winter. We didn't want to drag those players out of that at the 11th hour when they'd been preparing for some rest.

“They've been spending time with families and Jos is away from a few days at the moment. There was no plan to change that. If there was a strong case from the players to get back on the horse a bit earlier and play some cricket then listen to that as well, they know their bodies and minds as well as anyone. That was the case with Sam Billings - he went back to Kent and played some cricket to put himself in the frame.”

Giles also reflected on the injury to Ben Foakes, who sadly has missed a chance to stake his long-term claim ahead of Jos Buttler becoming available again after damaging his hamstring slipping in the dressing room. “We've had some strange injuries,” he said. “Jofra's finger, Zak Crawley slipping on his spikes. We can only wrap so much cotton wool around these guys. There are 20 percenters, like playing football... but these things are hard to avoid. Foakesy is absolutely gutted but he'll be back in the ranks in no time.”

^{Haseeb Hameed has been recalled to England's Test squad for the first time in five years}

There was positive news with the recall of Haseeb Hameed, however. “As we’ve picked him in the squad, we’ve got to think he’s ready. I worked closely with Has at Lancashire, he was promoted to the senior ranks very quickly and then went back a little but has now come again and averaged between 40 and 50 over the last couple of years. He seems to have found his love for the game again. He’s a really exciting young player, I loved working with him and he’s clearly found a home at Notts.”

The England players are spending five days “living safely at home” ahead of the first Test, which starts on Wednesday, Giles confirmed. “If they need to go to the shops, do it, but do it safely. People have to live. We've asked them to stay away from spending time with friends indoors, and at other people's houses and so on. Golf, fine, exercise, fine... guys have had to do appearances for commercial reasons but risk assessments are done on all those venues.

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“When we go into the environment - and I go in for one night for some meetings - we haven't got sole use of the hotel. We'll have our own areas, floor for accommodation, our own eating areas... and some of the fine detail we're still working on.

“We want to allow the players and staff to exercise. Go for a run around Regent's Park? Maybe that's okay. But it might not happen in this first week or so. The overarching principle is, try and be safer during the first two Tests, get the summer underway and then hopefully we can start loosening some protocols as society opens up.”

Giles is delighted with the news that Edgbaston, venue for the second Test - will be able to accommodate 17,000 crowds. “I’m absolutely delighted. The atmosphere at Edgbaston – and I'm slightly biased perhaps – is fantastic. To have that many people in will be great for everyone. Some of our players will have played in front of crowds abroad, it will have been almost two years since we played in front of crowds at home. They'll love it, I'm sure. Having people back in the ground will hopefully bring back a feeling of some normality. We may not be there completely yet but it's another step forward.”

Asked if England will continue to take the knee for a second summer, Giles said: “This is something I know the team have talked about a lot and I have with certain members of the team and management. I think there is an intention for them to do something. Like all of us, they feel strongly about all discrimination. If it was an individual statement of some sort, we’d support that. They are adults. I do think they are keen on doing something as a team.”

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