Jofra Archer: I want to play Test cricket, but I don’t know when I will

Jofra Archer believes his white-ball summer has been the ideal stepping stone towards his ultimate goal of returning to Test cricket – but is not setting targets over when that dream will be realised.

There were echoes of Archer’s unforgettable summer of 2019 as he put in a magnificent showing to help England sweep aside world champions Australia at Lord’s on Friday evening. Archer picked up the wickets of captain Mitchell Marsh and Glenn Maxwell as Australia lost all 10 wickets for 58 to lose by 186 runs in a rain-shortened game and take the series to a decider in Bristol.

The performance, which saw Archer regularly clock 90mph, was another significant “check mark”, as it was the first time he has played consecutive one-day internationals since September 2020, having endured years of horrible elbow and back stress fractures.

He has now strung together a consistent summer of white-ball cricket, starting in England in May, through the T20 World Cup, Hundred and now T20 and ODI series against Australia. Initially, Archer was not scheduled to play the fourth game of the ODI series, but a look at the poor forecast in Bristol and the fact that “I don’t think anyone wants to miss Lord’s”, saw him give the medical staff “a little bit of a nudge”. It paid off, as it is unclear if he will play in Bristol, if a decider is even possible.

Asked if he felt his summer had gone as well as it could, Archer replied: “Yeah, I’d say that. I’m still on the park and we’re approaching the end of the summer. So for me, that’s a take. I wanted to play a summer, and then I want to play a year, and then I want to play a few years. So everything is going to plan.

“I’ve been back to this rhythm for a little while now, I felt it in the World Cup and I’ve just been taking it series by series.

“The [Lord’s] game had a lot on it, and probably that was just the match intensity coming up.”

‘I’m just happy playing whatever cricket’s on at the minute’

Archer confirmed his goal was to still play Test cricket, having not appeared in the format since early 2021 due to injury. England hope to have him available for next year’s blockbuster series against India at home and Australia away, but are nursing him towards there. Archer said his schedule would be entirely governed by Rob Key, England’s managing director, and Craig de Weymarn, the physio, and he did not know when he would next have a red ball in his hand.

“I’m just going series by series,” said Archer. “To be honest, I’m just happy playing whatever cricket’s on at the minute. I’m not looking that far ahead, because none of us have next year planned. So let’s just go series by series.

“I’ve played cricket the whole summer so I can’t really see Lord’s as the end goal. I think the World Cup was a good check mark. This was a good check mark. The Caribbean will be another good check mark. Hopefully, I play more games there. For now I am happy to be playing. Sorry to echo myself but I don’t have anything else to say on it. I know I’ve been out, it’s been a while but I am playing cricket again and I’m just happy.”

Archer particularly enjoyed bowling in tandem with Brydon Carse, one of a number of quicker bowlers who have emerged in recent years. At 29, Archer is now a senior player, and one of only two survivors in the Lord’s XI from the 2019 World Cup-winning team.

“When you’re watching someone and you’re at fine leg, or wherever you are, and seeing the other guy giving the batsman some hell,” he said. “So it’s really nice. And I guess tonight, it really worked out. The conditions were really, really nice for fast bowling. It seamed, it nipped it. It did a bit of everything. So it’s really, really a good game to be a fast bowler.

“Yes and no [feel responsibility of a senior player]. It’s weird seeing the team change. Just the other day I was playing warm-up football on the young side and a couple of weeks later I’m on the old team. It’s been a bit of a shock, but everybody is looking forward.”