England paceman Jofra Archer has targeted a return to action in time for the Twenty20 World Cup in October and the subsequent Ashes series after “career-defining” elbow surgery.
The 26-year-old Sussex bowler is rehabilitating after an operation last week and is ready to miss England’s summer fixtures in a bid to finally resolve a problem with his right elbow. “One thing I am determined about post-elbow operation is not to rush my comeback because my primary focus is to be playing for England in the Twenty20 World Cup and Ashes later this year,” Archer wrote in his column for the Daily Mail. “Those are my targets. If I come back before then and manage to play in the home Test series against India then fine, so be it. If I don’t, I am quite prepared to sit out the summer.
“The way I am looking at things is that I would rather miss a few weeks of a year so that I have a few more years in my career.” England played two Tests against New Zealand in June, followed by white-ball series against Sri Lanka and Pakistan before their five-Test series against India. The T20 World Cup is scheduled to take place in October and November in India and the Ashes series begins in Australia in December. Archer is an established match-winner in the shortest format of the game and would be a certain pick for the T20 showpiece. He is also considered a vital weapon for the Ashes. “I’m not going to do myself any good by coming back before I’m fully fit, so I will take my time and do what is best for me and my life,” Archer said.
“The bandages are off and I have spoken to the consultant since, but everything is still very fresh and I remain sore after what was a career-defining moment last Friday.”