Archer could be "behind schedule" for Test return due to IPL

Rob Key is concerned that Jofra Archer could set himself back after signing up for the IPL.

The Sussex CCC star bowler was signed up by the Rajasthan Royals at the auction.

The managing director of England men's cricket does think that his participation in the white-ball tournament could affect his return to the Test side.

He told Wisden: "There's still much to unfold in this situation, but we believe Jofra will be fine.

"Yes, we’ll be a couple of months behind, but he ultimately decided to enter the IPL auction, which we supported.

"He aims to manage his preparation during the IPL and gearing up for the Test series in that time frame."

Key does believe that if Archer can link up with Sussex after the IPL and put in some performances in the County Championship, then he could put himself back in contention.

He added: "Jofra is always a pleasure to work with.

"Our suggestion was that it might be best for him to miss the IPL this season, focus on preparing himself, and build up his workloads.

"If he could get through some Championship matches, he would be in a great position for the Test summer.

"He was on board with that idea."

"We believed we could make a case for him being part of a managed workload.

"The challenge was that he was performing at full throttle, bowling at 90mph with slips in place during T20 matches in the West Indies, which complicated our argument of injury."

Captain Ben Stokes has also spoken about Archer's return to the Test team in recent days.

The all-rounder has insisted that the bowler is "very interested" in returning to the red-ball game.

Archer has not played for the England Test side since 2021 due to various injuries that have hampered his playtime.