Jofra Archer

Elbow and back issues have kept Archer from playing almost entirely since his last appearance for England in the T20I series in India in March 2021.

The seamer's previous competitive game was in July 2021 when he played for Sussex against Kent in a T20 Blast encounter, with his only recent outing being for the England Lions in a warm-up game in South Africa in November.

Turning out for MI Cape Town against Paarl Royals in the SA20 on Tuesday, Archer took 3-27 from his four overs, which included a maiden and 12 dot balls.

The 27-year-old dismissed Wihan Lubbe with just his third delivery, before also claiming the wickets of David Miller and Ferisco Adams with successive balls in his third over.

Despite Archer's international team-mate Jos Buttler top-scoring with 51 from 42 balls for the Royals, MI Cape Town were able to secure an eight-wicket win thanks in the main to an unbeaten knock of 70 from Dewald Brevis.

England Test captain Ben Stokes tweeted earlier on Tuesday to say he was: "Buzzing to see @JofraArcher back on the field".

Managing director of England men's cricket Rob Key had previously indicated that Archer would play two games in the SA20, before coming into consideration for England's ODI series in South Africa, which starts on January 27 in Bloemfontein.

Having spent almost two years on the sidelines with elbow and back problems, Archer returned to international cricket in January for England's ODI series against South Africa.

Archer had bowling figures of 6-40 – the third-best for England in an ODI – in the last match of that series, while he has since stepped up his involvement with ODI and T20I appearances in England's ongoing tour of Bangladesh.  

The 27-year-old is desperate to be involved when England bid to regain the Ashes from Australia in June and July, though he says anything more than one outing would be a bonus.

"If I can play one game this summer, I'll be happy," Archer told reporters. "If I play more than one, that's just a bonus.

"Coming back and playing cricket for England again means I have already done what I wanted to do.

"I said 18 months ago I was going to be back. Now I'm back. Hopefully I have a long career, so it makes no sense doing too much too soon.

"We have got so much cricket to play – genuinely, playing for England you never stop. You're going 11 months a year, pretty much... There's a lot of cricket and I want to play a lot of cricket."

Archer made his Test debut during England's last home Ashes series, in which Australia retained the urn following a 2-2 draw, and he is planning to draw on that experience next time out.

"I've played in the Ashes already, so you know most of the things that come with it," Archer said. "The pressures, the media, the situations are not going to be anything unknown. 

"The only thing unknown at the moment now would be fitness and if you can actually get through a whole Test match.

"I don't have much expectation except to finish the game. That is the biggest part, to get through 20 [overs] in an innings, maybe 40 or 50 in a game. Obviously I want wickets, but getting overs in is more important."

Pace bowler Archer underwent surgery last week and, as per a statement from the England and Wales Cricket Board released on Wednesday, is to undergo an intensive rehabilitation period before being assessed again in around a month.

The 26-year-old's absence is a blow to England ahead of a busy home schedule in all formats, with New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and India all visiting for tours in the upcoming months.

However, Archer will only make his comeback once completely healthy, a decision made with his long-term future in mind as he prepares to be patient.

The T20 World Cup is scheduled to take place in October and November this year, with England then travelling Down Under the following month for the five-Test Ashes series.

"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 T20 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.

"I just want to get this injury sorted once and for all and that's why I'm not looking that far ahead or at dates for a return to action — because if I don't get this right, I won't play any cricket. Period.

"I am 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, who had an operation on a hand injury earlier this year, attempted to make a return to action in domestic cricket for Sussex recently, only to suffer a further setback with his elbow during the County Championship fixture at Hove.

He has taken 42 wickets at an average of 31.04 in 13 Test appearances for Joe Root's side, while he is a key member of England's white-ball squads under captain Eoin Morgan.

England have Tests against New Zealand at Lord's and Edgbaston in June, with a five-match series in the long format against India beginning at Trent Bridge on August 4.

Several players who appeared in the Indian Premier League will not be involved against the Black Caps, while wicketkeeper Ben Foakes joined Archer and Ben Stokes on the sidelines after suffering a hamstring injury when slipping in the Surrey dressing room on Sunday.

There were questions raised about Archer's pace in the first Test against Pakistan, when he struggled to muster the ferocity that typified his entry into the international arena. 

England are expected to keep faith with Archer for the second match in the series, which begins at Southampton's Rose Bowl on Thursday. 

Captain Joe Root has been supportive, predicting England "will continue to see very special things" from Archer as long as he continues to learn from the ups and downs in his career. 

Archer would love to be bowling consistently at an intimidating speed, but he is more concerned with his overall development. 

"I cannot get away from the fact there is always attention towards the pace I am producing," Archer said in his Daily Mail column. 

"From my perspective, I know I can bowl one or two 90mph deliveries a spell even when not everything is clicking, but to do it every ball, everything has to be working perfectly in unison and you have to be in that perfect, competitive mind frame. 

"Not everything comes together all the time. People look back at my debut performance in the Ashes Test at Lord's last year and expect that kind of display everywhere, but it is unrealistic."

Archer appealed for "more appreciation" of the challenges of fast bowling, and England would not want to push him to strain his body if it meant the Sussex paceman taking any physical risks. 

The Barbados-born quick has 38 wickets in 10 Tests since making his debut against Australia in last year's Ashes, and with James Anderson and Stuart Broad in the twilight of their careers, England are hoping Archer proves an enduring and potent presence in their attack. 

"People will judge you how they want and there are a lot of opinions out there. But I am a 25-year-old fast bowler trying to develop my game and the opinions that matter most to me are the ones of my team-mates," Archer said. 

"As long as Joe Root and my England team-mates are fine, I really don't care what other people are thinking." 

He added that "as long as the people in and around this circle are understanding - and it 100 per cent seems like they are - I am very happy and in a good head space". 

England fast bowler Archer has not played any cricket since July 2021 after being sidelined by a stress fracture of his back.

The paceman has not seen action for his country for 19 months, having also been out due to a long-standing elbow problem.

Archer is now eyeing a return and will step up his recovery in a camp in the UAE from November 11 to 27.

Fellow quicks Saqib Mahmood and Brydon Carse will also continue their rehabilitation from injuries in the UAE.

Haseeb Hameed, Dan Lawrence and Matthew Fisher are among the 15 players who will be in the Lions training group.

England will face the Lions in a three-day practice match, starting on November 23, ahead of a three-match Test series in Pakistan that starts at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on December 1.

Archer was ruled out of the ODI series due to a worsening elbow issue and travelled home to the United Kingdom.

The fast bowler has since had a scan and a consultant review, which has prompted the decision to have a procedure on his right hand, while he has also had a further injection for his right elbow.

"The procedure on Jofra's hand will take place on Monday 29 March so he can recover during the planned break following his elbow injection," a statement from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) read on Saturday.

"Jofra suffered a cut to his hand while cleaning at his home in January shortly before flying to India to prepare for the Test series.

"The injury was managed by the ECB's medical team through the tour and it did not impact on his availability.

"Further investigation and a specialist opinion was sought upon his return to the UK and, in conjunction with the ECB medical panel, it has been decided that surgery is the best option to manage his injury in the longer term."

As well as dealing with Archer's absence, England have been without captain Eoin Morgan since the first ODI after sustaining his own hand injury.

But stand-in skipper Jos Buttler was still waiting on news of the fitness of Sam Billings, who missed the second ODI with a bruised collarbone, and Mark Wood, who was rested.

England lost their four-match Test series against India 3-1 and were then beaten in a Twenty20 International decider to go down 3-2.

Tied at 1-1 ahead of the third and final ODI, Buttler is hoping for better luck as he targets a third successive win as captain for the first time. He has five victories from seven matches so far.

"We want to win all the games we play," he said. "It's great to be in another final, as such. Obviously the T20s went to a decider and this series will do the same.

"They're great games to be involved in, we're all very much looking forward to it. It was an excellent performance [on Friday], so we take lots of confidence into the game on Sunday."

Friday saw England claim a six-wicket win thanks to a superb chase led by Jonny Bairstow and Ben Stokes.

Bairstow (124), who has now hit an England record 26 sixes against India, had 100-run stands with both fellow opener Jason Roy and Stokes, as the tourists had two century partnerships in the same ODI for the first time since the 2019 Cricket World Cup.

Bairstow and Roy reached the hundred mark for the 13th time in ODIs, the most ever recorded by an England duo, while they have the highest average (61.6) of any opening partnership in the history of the format (20-plus innings).

Led by the pair, England have outscored India 148 to 80 in the powerplays in this series.

"They're right up there, aren't they? Everyone will have their opinions on who's the best, but those two have been fantastic," Buttler said.

"The way they play, the pressure their put on an opposition, and the consistency... the way they do that, the fashion they play, it's quite remarkable really.

"They've created some fantastic stands. I don't know the exact numbers, but I know they're pretty impressive. We're all delighted to have them at the top of the order.

"People talk about the numbers a lot of the time, but for us it's more about the fashion we play in, committing to that and the numbers will always look after themselves."

Stokes certainly plays in the same fashion, his rapid innings seeing 50 runs off the first 40 balls and 49 off the next 11.

Asked how the display ranked among the white-ball efforts of an all-rounder who has averaged 56.4 in ODIs since the start of 2017, Buttler had a cheery response.

"It was certainly pretty impressive, wasn't it? He's had a few," the captain said. "His World Cup final one was pretty good. I enjoyed that one."

The pace bowler underwent surgery on his right hand towards the end of March having suffered damage to a finger while cleaning a fish tank.

Archer had also been bothered by a persistent elbow issue during the tour of India earlier in 2021, forcing him to miss the three-match one-day series against Virat Kohli's side.

The 26-year-old is set to resume full training with English county Sussex with the intention of making a playing comeback within the next two weeks.

"Archer returned to bowling this week with higher intensity, and the ECB and Sussex medical teams will continue to monitor his progress,” a statement from the ECB read.

"Archer will now step up his training regime starting next week and will be in full training with Sussex. It is expected that he will return to cricket in the next fortnight if he can continue to bowl and prepare pain-free.

"The ECB will confirm which matches he is expected to play in due course."

The absence of Archer is a huge blow for Rajasthan Royals, particularly as the IPL franchise have already lost England all-rounder Ben Stokes for the entire tournament due to a broken finger.

Archer claimed 20 wickets at an average of 18.25 in the Twenty20 competition for the Royals last year, posting an impressive economy rate of 6.55 runs per over.

Rajasthan have won just once in their opening four outings in the current campaign as they bid to qualify for the play-offs for the first time since 2018.

Archer and former West Indies white-ball captain Carlos Brathwaite are expected to be part of the Wildey line-up when they face Police in the opening round of matches on home soil at the Samuel Jackman Prescod Institute of Technology ground.

The 28-year-old made a surprise appearance for his relegation-threatened alma mater, Foundation School in the BCA Division 1 championship last December at the same time England were on a white-ball tour of the Caribbean, much to the chagrin of England & Wales Cricket Board officials.

England managing director Rob Key said on Friday that Archer will not play Tests this summer when Ben Stokes’ side face West Indies and Sri Lanka, but he will hopefully be ready for the ICC Men’s Twenty20 World Cup in June in the Caribbean and the United States.

“The whole plan with Jofra is he’s going to play white-ball cricket for this summer and going into the winter,” Key told Sky Sports.

“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 to get him back for all forms.”

Key said Archer is being eased back into action after he struggled with stress fractures in his elbow, but the fast bowler was a part of a pre-season trip with English County side Sussex last month to India and bowled with fire.

“Jofra has been out with Sussex in India for pre-season and bowled quickly out there, he bowled really well,” Key added.

“He has now gone back to the Caribbean where he’s going to play a bit of club cricket, all about getting himself ready for that T20 World Cup.”

Key said: “He’ll hopefully play the Pakistan series, but it’s always fingers-crossed at the moment with Jofra.

“What we’re going to do is take it slower (rather) than trying to go too quickly, so that we get him back for not just a short period, but we get him for a long period.”

Archer last played a Test for England more than three years ago in February 2021, but he has since represented them in white-ball cricket, with his last outing coming in a Twenty20 International against Bangladesh last year.

Following a review by a consultant, the 26-year-old underwent an operation on Friday to try to resolve the long-standing issue that had already ruled him out of the upcoming two-Test series against New Zealand.

Archer – who had an operation on a hand injury earlier this year – had attempted to make a return to action in domestic cricket for Sussex recently, only to suffer a further setback. He claimed figures of 2-29 and 1-14 against Kent but was unable to bowl during the final two days of the County Championship fixture at Hove.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has revealed he will undertake an "intensive rehabilitation period" before a further examination of the elbow, at which point further guidance will be offered over a potential comeback date.

"Archer will now commence an intensive rehabilitation period working with the ECB and Sussex medical teams," a statement from the ECB said.

"His progress will be reviewed by his consultant in approximately four weeks, at which point further guidance will be provided as to when he can return to bowling."

After facing New Zealand at Lord's and Edgbaston in June, England are to host Sri Lanka and Pakistan for limited-overs games, followed by a five-Test series against India, starting at Trent Bridge on August 4.

There is a Twenty20 World Cup to come later in the year, too, as well as an Ashes tour to Australia.

Archer has taken 42 wickets at an average of 31.04 in 13 Test appearances for Joe Root's side, while he is a key member of England's white-ball squads under the captaincy of Eoin Morgan.

Archer was ruled out of the recent ODI series defeat to India with an elbow injury and underwent an operation on his hand on Monday, repairing damage done when he was cleaning a fish tank in January.

The quick will miss the start of the Rajasthan Royals' Indian Premier League campaign as he recovers from the procedure.

"England pace bowler Jofra Archer underwent successful surgery to his right hand on Monday. A fragment of glass was removed during the operation to his middle finger on his right hand." an ECB statement said.
 
"He will now commence two weeks of rehabilitation. The consultant will review him before returning to training.

"Further update on his elbow injury will be provided once he has returned to bowling to assess the effectiveness of his recent injection.
 
"Archer suffered a cut to his hand while cleaning at his home in January shortly before flying to India to prepare for the Test series.

"The ECB's medical team managed the injury throughout the tour, and it did not impact on his availability."

The Royals start their IPL campaign against Punjab Kings on Monday April 12.

Archer is set to represent Mumbai Indians in the IPL, which culminates on May 28, with the first Test between England and Australia taking place at Edgbaston on June 16.

England have a Test scheduled against Ireland on June 1, but should Mumbai go far in the IPL, it is unlikely Archer would be available.

The pace bowler, who turns 28 on Saturday, has not played a Test match for England since a 10-wicket defeat to India in Ahmedabad in February 2021, with his last first-class game for Sussex being in May 2021 against Kent.

Elbow and back injuries kept him on the sidelines for 17 months, but he returned to white-ball cricket in January.

Sussex head coach Paul Farbrace believes England's plan is for Archer to be ready for the Ashes after the end of the IPL.

"I think all things being equal, he will go straight into the Ashes off the back of the IPL," Farbrace told BBC Radio Sussex.

"The England plan for Jofra is he'll go and play in the IPL.

"I think their plan is that between IPL games he'll then bowl some longer spells to get his overs up and make sure that he is match-ready.

"That's the nature of international franchise cricket these days. I know there'll be a lot of people saying 'he should play at least two four-day games to be ready for a Test match', but the preparation and the work that the medical teams do around these players is exceptional."

Archer dampened expectations of significant involvement against Australia in early March, telling reporters: "If I can play one [Test] this summer, I'll be happy. If I play more than one, that's just a bonus."

Archer has been released by Mumbai Indians, along with his replacement Chris Jordan, while Brook and Rashid have been released by Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Archer took just two wickets in five matches for Mumbai earlier this year before being sidelined.

The 28-year-old returned to India to continue his rehabilitation from an elbow injury alongside England’s World Cup squad, but was not considered to replace Reece Topley after his fellow fast bowler suffered a broken finger.

England Test captain Ben Stokes announced on Thursday he would not be available for the IPL.

Stokes was purchased by Chennai Super Kings for £1.65million last December, but struggled with his fitness and played only twice for his new franchise in the 2023 tournament.

Stokes is due for surgery on a longstanding knee injury to ensure he is fit for England’s five-match Test series with India which begins in January.

Joe Root followed the lead of Stokes two days later, confirming he would not join up with a Rajasthan Royals squad which contains England white-ball captain Jos Buttler next year.

With a potentially busy schedule to come, Rajasthan Royals duo Archer and Stokes, along with Chennai Super Kings all-rounder Curran will get a well-earned break when England take on the Proteas in three 50-over fixtures in early December. 

Those games follow on from a trio of T20 internationals between the countries as part of a tour cleared to proceed by the South African government amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. 

Jos Buttler has also been on duty at the IPL for the Royals yet the wicketkeeper-batsman – England's vice-captain in white-ball cricket - is set to be involved in both formats. 

Reece Topley is in the 20 and 50-over squads too, the left-arm paceman having featured in the one-day series against Ireland on home soil earlier this year, his first international appearance in over four years. 

There are also places for Lewis Gregory, Liam Livingstone and Olly Stone in a 15-man ODI party, along with Test captain Joe Root and fellow World Cup winner Chris Woakes. 

However, Tom Banton has been left out. The batsman is instead on a three-man reserve list alongside Jake Ball and Tom Helm. 

England's players and staff are to depart on November 16 and will play two intra-squad practice matches before the first T20 contest on November 27.

All games will be played behind closed doors as the tourists base themselves in a bio-secure bubble in Cape Town. Newlands will be one of the venues used, along with Boland Park in nearby Paarl. 

England Twenty20 squad

Eoin Morgan (captain), Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Jonathan Bairstow, Sam Billings, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Tom Curran, Chris Jordan, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, Reece Topley, Mark Wood.

England ODI squad

Eoin Morgan (captain), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Sam Billings, Jos Buttler, Tom Curran, Lewis Gregory, Liam Livingstone, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Olly Stone, Reece Topley, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood.

Fielding coach Paul Collingwood revealed the trio were all in contention to replace the injured James Anderson in Port Elizabeth.

With the series tied at 1-1, the tourists will hope to build on their impressive 189-run victory in the second Test, with Archer, Wood and Woakes eyeing a spot in the line-up.

"They've an opportunity over the next two training sessions to prove to us they should be the one in the team," said Collingwood.

"It's actually really nice to be able to come into a Test being able to choose from players who are 100 per cent ready to go.

"Here at PE [Port Elizabeth] it's generally a slower pitch, so sometimes having that kind of X-factor can be great.

"Sunday's training session was one of the best we've had for a long time.

"We saw bowlers really running in against the batters. They were really making it difficult for them. If we can do that more often, then our education as a team will grow very strongly and very quickly."

Responding to suggestions that Archer had lost his way after bursting onto the scene with England last year, Collingwood jumped to the 24-year-old's defence.

"He's very early on in his international career," he said. "He hasn't bowled a lot with the Kookaburra ball, which requires a completely different skillset from the Dukes. 

"His main skill is bowling 90 miles per hour plus. We have enough bowlers in and around the county circuit who can bowl at 82 to 85 miles per hour and try to nip it around. 

"You want the likes of Wood and Archer to give you that X-factor.”

The third Test begins on Thursday.

Archer has not played since July and was ruled out of the Ashes series in Australia.

The paceman was a frustrated spectator as Joe Root's side were skittled out for only 147 on day one of the series at the Gabba.

But Archer was able to offer some positive news for England fans on a painful day for the tourists.

"It was a tough one to take seeing the ball bouncing and seaming a little bit [when Australia were ripping through the England batting line-up]," he told Channel 7.

"This is one tour as a fast bowler that you really don't want to miss.

"The [scan] results came back yesterday and it was quite promising, actually – everything is moving forward nicely.

"It is just a matter of waiting a little bit more, being a little bit more patient. I am almost at the end of the road."

Archer has not been part of England's Test side since February 2021, with the paceman having struggled with numerous injuries over the last few years.

He performed well in the 2019 Ashes, taking 22 wickets at an average of 20.27, and his full involvement in England's recent T20 World Cup campaign hints at a return to the longer format.

His pace would be ideal on Australia's bouncy pitches and a real asset to captain Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum as they aim to win an Ashes series down under for the first time in 14 years.

Nevertheless, Archer's fitness is being carefully monitored by the management team and he will not play any red-ball cricket in 2024.

When asked about the possibility of being involved in the Ashes, Archer said: "I am going to use the rest of the year to make sure this is at least a possibility.

"I'm tired of going on Instagram and seeing posts saying 'He's going to be on the physio's bed in the next two weeks' and stuff like that.

"I want to spend the rest of the year proving some people wrong and hopefully play in another Ashes."

Archer himself also said that he would be keen to play first-class cricket for Sussex early next summer.

Speaking as part of BBC Sport's coverage for the opening match of the Hundred, the 29-year-old said: "I will manage myself as best as possible and get myself through until at least maybe the start of the Championship next year.

"I'll probably play a few of those games and keep building up and getting that workload ready for Test cricket."

He will make his debut in the 100-ball competition on Wednesday for Southern Brave against London Spirit at the Utilita Bowl.

Eoin Morgan's side came back in thrilling fashion in the opening Twenty20 against Australia earlier in September, and the tourists snatched defeat from what looked set at one point to be a comfortable triumph in Manchester.

Four wickets – one from Jofra Archer (3-34) and three from Chris Woakes (3-32) – in a fantastic five-over spell in the middle of Australia's innings reduced Justin Langer's side from 142-2 to 147-6.

Australia's collapse came on the back of a strong start from Aaron Finch (73), whose side had ripped through England's top order after Morgan elected to bat first.

Adam Zampa (3-36) was the pick of Australia's bowling attack, which had England on the ropes until a stand of 76 between Tom Curran (37) and Adil Rashid (35 not out) helped the hosts finish on 231-9.

Yet despite Finch and Marnus Labuschagne (48) looked to be ticking Australia towards a series win, England rallied – Sam Curran (3-35) wrapping up the victory after Woakes and Archer dismantled the tourists' middle-order.

The day-night contest at the newly named Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad was viewed in the build-up as a chance for the seam bowlers to take centre stage, with the four-match series between the teams delicately poised at 1-1.

However, it was India's spinners who once again dominated proceedings, Axar Patel claiming career-best figures of 6-38 to continue his outstanding start in Test cricket. Ravichandran Ashwin - one of the star performers for India as they won the second Test in Chennai - offered superb support, taking 3-26. 

Johnny Bairstow was the first of several players to be undone by deliveries that failed to turn at all, though, as his return to the team saw him trapped lbw for a duck, leaving the tourists at 27-2 after opting to bat first. 

Zak Crawley (53) countered impressively, playing some glorious shots off the front foot in particular as he and Joe Root added 47, only for England to then suffer a stunning collapse, their final eight wickets going down for just 38 runs.

Ashwin had Root lbw for 17 – despite the England captain attempting to get a reprieve through a review – before Crawley's fluent half-century came to an end when he fell in similar fashion to Axar. 

Ollie Pope (1) and Ben Stokes (6) both perished with the score stuck on 81, England's batsmen left bamboozled once more on a turning surface to leave a long tail exposed. 

Axar claimed three of the final four wickets to go down, wrapping up the innings when Ben Foakes was bowled for 12. England had lasted just 48.2 overs, posting their lowest first-innings score in India. 

Following a superb century in the previous match, the in-form Rohit Sharma led India's reply with an unbeaten 57 that included nine fours.

Fellow opener Shubman Gill found it tougher going as he made only 11, while Cheteshwar Pujara departed for a four-ball duck to Jack Leach. The left-arm spinner also struck late to give his team renewed hope, Kohli chopping on for 27, but the hosts undoubtedly were the happier team at stumps.

Super start continues for Axar 

Axar is the first Indian spinner to take a five-wicket haul in a day-night Test, while only the sixth slow bowler to do so in such fixtures with the pink ball. 

Having missed the series opener through injury - a game England won convincingly - he has now taken 13 wickets in the series at an average of 10.61, stunning numbers for a player who has had to wait patiently for his chance in the format. 

Zak back, but England topple quickly 

With Crawley and Root together, England appeared to have overcome two early setbacks to reach 74-2 just prior to the first break in proceedings on Wednesday. The former justified the decision to pick him over Rory Burns, hitting 10 fours to at times silence the 40,000-strong crowd present. 

Yet the right-hander was not alone in falling into the trap of playing for spin that was simply not there, hit on the front pad by a delivery from Axar that instead of turning went straight on.

The Sussex bowler has not played at senior level since a white-ball tour to India in March 2021, having been sidelined with a succession of injuries since then.

After missing out on T20 World Cup success in November, Archer's return to the fold will be a timely boost in the year England look to defend their 50-over crown and take on Australia in the Ashes.

Mark Wood and Joe Root, as anticipated, are both rested, but there is room for Ben Duckett, who could play his first ODI match since 2016 after impressing upon his Test comeback.

Liam Livingstone, who was injured during England's red-ball series with Pakistan, misses out while Harry Brook will look to win his first ODI cap after a superb multi-format season.

Reece Topley, who is continuing to recovery from injury himself, will hope to join Archer in marking his return to action during the three-game tour, which starts in Bloemfontein on January 27.

A second match at Mangaung Oval follows on January 29, before the final encounter takes place at Kimberley on February 1.

A subsequent Test tour to New Zealand follows.

England ODI squad: Jos Buttler (Lancashire); Moeen Ali (Worcestershire), Jofra Archer (Sussex), Harry Brook (Yorkshire), Sam Curran (Surrey), Ben Duckett (Nottinghamshire), Dawid Malan (Yorkshire), Adil Rashid (Yorkshire), Jason Roy (Surrey), Phil Salt (Lancashire), Olly Stone (Nottinghamshire), Reece Topley (Surrey), David Willey (Yorkshire), Chris Woakes (Warwickshire).

Stokes ends India batsman Virat Kohli's three-year reign in possession of the honour and becomes the first Englishman since fellow all-rounder Andrew Flintoff to be considered the best player in the global game by the esteemed publication.

The body of work amassed by Stokes over the course of an outstanding 2019 made him an obvious frontrunner for such recognition.

He top-scored with an unbeaten 84 as England took the World Cup final into a super over, where Stokes and Jos Buttler scored 15 before the hosts won on the boundary count back rule at Lord's.

Remarkably, that was not Stokes' finest hour of the English summer, as he went on to score 135 not out to seal an enthralling one-wicket win over Australia in the fourth Ashes Test at Headingley – an innings to rank alongside the all-time greats in cricket's longest format.

Jofra Archer, another standout performer in England's World Cup and Ashes campaigns was named as one of Wisden's five cricketers of the year for 2019, along with Australia duo Marnus Labuschagne and Pat Cummins.

Labuschagne's introduction to the series came as a concussion substitute when Steve Smith was struck by a brutish Archer bouncer and he went on to make the number three position his own, averaging 112 in the Australian summer that followed.

Cummins underlined his status as the number one pace bowler in the world with 29 wickets against England in an urn-retaining 2-2 draw.

That is a standing Archer can certainly aspire to, having claimed 55 wickets across all formats in his breakthrough international year.

Wisden's five cricketers of 2019 were rounded out by Simon Harmer, the Essex spinner whose 83 wickets gave him 12 more scalps than any other bowler on the way to County Championship glory, and Ellyse Perry.

Perry was Australia's leading run-scorer (378) and wicket-taker (15) in the 2019 Women's Ashes and was also named the leading women's player in the world.

West Indies all-rounder Andre Russell is the leading T20 cricketer.