England fast bowler Jofra Archer said missing the T20 World Cup and the Ashes was a tough pill to swallow and that he felt like he had let the team down by not touring Australia for the Test series. Archer has been recovering from a long-standing elbow injury but is yet to give an exact date for his return to competitive cricket.
Archer missed most part of the 2021 season as he underwent surgery for his knee injury after pulling out of the Indian Premier League. The surgery in May kept him out of the T20 World Cup and the Ashes. Archer was expected to return for England’s limited-overs tour in January 2022 but he had to undergo a second surgery for his knee in December last year.
In the absence of Archer, England reached the semi-final of the T20 World Cup but their Ashes campaign was a horror show as they went down 0-4 in Australia. Mark Wood, with his express pace, was the only England bowler who consistently troubled the Aussie batters as England missed the pace and aggression of Archer.
“Watching the Ashes, I felt like I had let everyone down a little bit, when you see fast bowlers taking 90 per cent of the wickets – but you don’t get injured on purpose. Of course, I want to be part of making this England team a success, but this past year has taught me that you can plan all you want, then something happens to change everything,” Archer told the Daily Mail.
“The hardest two pills I’ve had to swallow were not playing in the Twenty20 World Cup and the Ashes but other than that everything has been so good since.
“With the Test team coming next month it will allow me to train with higher intensity as well. I couldn’t have written the script. Everything’s happened just for me, I reckon. That’s how it feels,” he added.
