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Archer's 'body in good stead' as England paceman targets Test return
Written by Sports Desk. Posted in ODIs. | 01 November 2024 | 1759 Views
Tags: Cricket, England, Odi

England fast bowler Jofra Archer says that his body is in good shape, as he suggested the next target is a return to Test cricket.

Archer is part of England's white-ball squad touring the West Indies.

This is his first tour since he recovered from a stress fracture in his elbow, which kept him out of the 2023 Ashes series.

Although England were beaten by eight wickets on the DLS method in the first ODI against West Indies on Thursday, the series is about more than just winning for Archer.

"My body is in good stead. It’s only been one year of bowling properly as well," he told TNT Sports.

"Before you can play in an ODI, you have to be bowling [10 overs] in training to make sure your body can withstand the load.

"To be honest, I’ve not been doing anything more than [that]."

The 29-year-old returned to international cricket following his injury at the 2024 T20 World Cup and has since played in the home ODI series against Australia.

He needs just four wickets to reach 50 in ODIs, which would make him the 30th England player to hit that milestone in the format.

But he has not featured in a Test since facing India in Ahmedabad in 2021. The sight of him on England duty will likely raise questions about his potential future involvement in the longer format.

"The next phase is maybe for me to start thinking about Test cricket and doing some more loads, but for now, I’m quite happy, and the management are quite happy with everything that I’m doing," he said.