Rob Key issues update on Jofra Archer's T20 World Cup and Test plans

Due to various injuries, Archer hasn't featured for England in any format since March 2023, with his most recent Test outing coming back in February 2021

Rob Key has issued an update on Jofra Archer's return to international cricket, with the immediate focus on June's T20 World Cup.

While Key is hopeful the quick will feature in May's T20I series against Pakistan, there are no plans for him to return to Test cricket this summer. Instead, Key identified next year's home series against India and the 2025/26 Ashes as more realistic targets.

Archer, who was awarded a two-year central contract last October, has endured an injury-plagued career since bursting into the spotlight during the 2019 Cricket World Cup, struggling with a succession of elbow and back issues as well as sustaining a freak hand injury while cleaning a fish tank.

He hasn't featured for England in any format since March 2023, with his most recent Test outing coming back in February 2021.

^{Archer hasn't featured for England since March 2023 [Gareth Copley/Getty Images]}

^{Archer isn't expected to return to Test cricket until 2025 [Dan Mullan/Getty Images]}

His last competitive outing came last May, when he featured for Mumbai Indians against Chennai Super Kings in the IPL, although he did bowl during Sussex's pre-season tour of India, notably shattering a stump while bowling for Karnataka State Cricket Association against his county.

Speaking on Sky Sports, Key, the managing director of England men's cricket, said: "He been out with Sussex's pre-season [tour] in India, he bowled quickly out there and really well.

"He's now gone back to the Caribbean where he is going to play a little bit of club cricket and stuff like that, all around getting himself ready for that T20 World Cup.

"Hopefully, he'll play in the Pakistan series, but it is always fingers crossed at the moment with Jofra. What we are going to do is take is slower, rather than go too quickly, so that we can get him back not just for a short period, but a long period.

"The whole plan with Jofra is he's going to play white-ball cricket this summer and going into the winter, and then hopefully next summer when we play India and then onto the Ashes, we get him back for Test cricket. It's a slow process."

Key's words echo those of Sussex head coach, Paul Farbrace, who doesn't expect to see Archer on the domestic circuit until after the T20 World Cup, and England white-ball head coach, Matthew Mott, who is keeping a spot open in his squad for the "box office" bowler.

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