Jofra Archer would be content with playing just one Test during England's home Ashes series later this year as he steps up his playing time after an injury-plagued couple of years.

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."

England white-ball head coach Matthew Mott expects "box office" fast bowler Jofra Archer will be back to his best in time for this year's Ashes and Cricket World Cup.

Archer returned for England against South Africa in January after spending just under two years out of action with elbow and back problems.

The 27-year-old managed just one wicket for 81 runs in his first game back but, after being rested for the second ODI, he took 6-40 in the final match of England's 2-1 series loss.

With five wickets to his name across two appearances on England's tour of Bangladesh, Mott is pleased with Archer's progress but believes there is still more to come.

"He's a box office player," Mott said. "He's fitted back into the group beautifully and it's an incredible effort for a fast bowler to be out for that long and come back and play as he has.

"He would admit that he's not fully firing on all cylinders. You can just see he's ticking all the boxes to get back to his best.

"He just seems to be really slowly, strategically making sure he's doing it right and ticking over and come the Ashes, come the World Cup, I'm sure you'll see him back to his best."

Wednesday will mark 100 days until the start of England's Ashes series with Australia, while the World Cup gets under way four months later in India.

Mott was again asked whether Ben Stokes will compete at the World Cup, with the all-rounder recently suggesting he may consider reversing his decision to end his 50-over international career.

"I'm still in touch with him but the issue about when he wants to play, we don't need to know for a while," Mott said. 

"The worst thing we could do is try to put pressure on him early to make a decision. We'll just see how his body's holding up and how he's feeling physically and mentally."

Mark Wood is not expecting to play a full role for England in the Ashes against Australia given Ben Stokes' wealth of Test bowling options.

The Durham quick was England's leading wicket-taker with 17 dismissals as the tourists succumbed to a 4-0 defeat in Australia in the 2021-22 Ashes series.

Wood has only played three internationals in the red-ball arena since that humiliation against England's old foes, in an attempt to manage his workload after repeated injury issues.

James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Ollie Robinson continue to impress under captain Stokes in coach Brendon McCullum's side. England could also call on the likes of Matthew Potts, Olly Stone, Sam Curran, Saqib Mahmood, Chris Woakes and the fit-again Jofra Archer.

With such depth of bowling talent, Wood acknowledged there is little chance of him playing all five Tests against Australia in the home series that starts on June 16 at Edgbaston.

"I will definitely not play all five [Ashes Tests]," Wood told reporters in Chattogram, where he is away touring with England's white-ball team against Bangladesh.

"I was delighted to play four out of five in Australia. I was knackered, wrecked, exhausted, [but] that was a big tick in my box to say that in a big series, I can do it, if Stokesy or Baz [McCullum] want me to play.

"More than likely, with the bowling stock we have, especially at home, I probably won't even play four. They might even want me for one or two, if they need a pace element."

The frontline trio of Anderson, Broad and Robinson again combined well in the recent 1-1 Test series draw with New Zealand, in which England suffered a dramatic one-run defeat in the decisive second meeting.

"[Stokes] might want to mix it up to keep people fresh, but if people are playing well, I might not play any," Wood added, acknowledging the quality of his bowling partners.

"I very much doubt, from the way they have managed me, [that I will play] four. If they want three or four, I will put my hand up."

Wood was afforded a two-month break before the tour of Bangladesh to recover both mentally and physically.

The 33-year-old heads to the Indian Premier League with Lucknow Super Giants after England's ongoing white-ball series, before the Ashes, a set of limited-overs fixtures and the 50-over Cricket World Cup in India follow.

"With my record, I might get [through] two of them," Wood said.

He added: "I've done interviews in the past where I've said, 'Of course I'm thinking about the Ashes in the background', [but] I'm actually not.

"There's so much going on before: we've got this, the T20s, the IPL and then the Ashes after that.

"I've got the birth of my daughter in between that, so it's going to be a massive time, I'm not really thinking that far ahead."

Ricky Ponting believes David Warner missed the ideal chance to retire in style at the SCG after his double-century at the MCG in December.

Warner plundered his way to 200 from 255 deliveries in the Boxing Day Test, which was his 100th appearance for his country in the format, as Australia dismantled South Africa by an innings and 182 runs.

That knock came at the end of a difficult 2022 for the opening batter, who had scored only two half-centuries in his previous 19 innings.

The 36-year-old was included in Australia's squad for their tour of India, but managed just 26 runs in three visits to the crease before suffering concussion and subsequently withdrawing.

Former Australia captain Ponting thinks the perfect opportunity for Warner to bow out was at the end of the South Africa series, with his home ground in Sydney hosting the final match.

Ponting told the ICC Review podcast: "Look, I was on radio a couple of days ago, back here in Australia, and I thought the absolute best time for Davey to retire, if he was thinking about it at all, was after the Sydney Test match here in Australia.

"He'd just played his 100th Test in Melbourne, and obviously got 200 in the first innings down there. And to bow out in front of his home crowd is obviously the way that every player would like to finish their careers.

"Who knows now that opportunity might not come around again for Davey, you know. That's nearly another 12 months away."

Australia will feature in this year's ICC Test Championship final at The Oval, and Ponting thinks Warner will play in that match if he is fit.

Indeed, Ponting says it could well act as an audition for the Ashes, which start at Edgbaston on June 16.

"They're probably going to have similar things to think about when they get to the UK because David's record in the UK is not as strong as it is in some other places around the world," said Ponting.

"I think his career deserves to finish the way he wants it to.

"Sort of not to be dropped or tapped on the shoulder in the middle of an overseas tour and have his career end in that way. That's why I just hope he can find it within himself to score a lot of runs between now and next summer."

Ben Stokes is not risking fitness for this year's Ashes series by playing in the Indian Premier League, insists England head coach Brendon McCullum.

England's Test captain has signed for Chennai Super Kings with the IPL season starting on March 31, ahead of the Ashes getting underway on June 16 in Birmingham.

Stokes struggled with his left knee in England's Test defeat to New Zealand in Wellington, where he could only bowl two overs while batting for 33 runs on the final day.

But McCullum has no concerns.

"I don't think he's jeopardising the Ashes. The skipper has a strong mind, and he knows how to get right for the big moments," he told reporters.

"In fact I look forward to watching him play for Chennai, and see him play cricket without the captaincy and having to worry about everyone else.

"We know when he comes back to us, he'll have that bit between his teeth. I also believe the Ashes is the script the skipper is waiting to write."

Stokes has delivered in huge moments for England, from starring in their 2019 World Cup victory to stunning Australia in a famous Ashes Test at Headingley when the series was last played on English soil four years ago.

He also scored an unbeaten 52 to propel England to victory at the T20 World Cup last year and has become the quickest Test captain to reach 10 wins.

At Chennai, he will play under head coach Stephen Fleming, who was once New Zealand team-mates with McCullum.

"I've got a tee-time with him, so I'll be making sure he looks after the skipper," said McCullum of Fleming.

"Chennai have a very good set-up, and they have an outstanding leader in Flem. He sees the big picture in everything, so I've no concerns."

Australia won the last Ashes 4-0 but after developing a distinct style of play since McCullum's appointment, England look primed to take the fight to the tourists. 

"This team has grown over the last eight or nine months," McCullum added. "I think the players have become more at ease with how we're playing, and it's become more authentic.

"Our style certainly does give us the best chance of being able to topple a good Australian side.

"We know it won't be easy but with eight or nine months development of that style under our belts, we should be hard to beat. Bring it on!"

Steve Smith believes a series triumph in India would represent a bigger achievement for Australia than winning the Ashes.

Australia begin a four-match tour of India in Nagpur on Thursday, as they bid to win three successive men's Test series for the first time since doing so between November 2015 and February 2016.

The tourists are under no illusions as to the size of the task awaiting them in India, with their hosts only losing one of their last 15 Tests on home soil against Australia (W11 D3).

Having helped Australia to a crushing 4-0 series win over old rivals England in the last Ashes series in 2021-22, Smith believes a successful tour of India would beat that achievement.

"I think if we could win in India, that'd be bigger than an Ashes series," Smith told cricket.com.au.

"It's a difficult place to win a Test match, let alone a series, so if we were able to topple that mountain, it would be huge."

Team-mate David Warner echoed Smith's thoughts, saying: "Being a part of that last Ashes was fantastic, but to go to India and beat India is the toughest challenge in Test cricket for us.

"I'm really looking forward to the tour, it's always a hard graft and one thing I'm looking forward to is applying myself against the best spinners in the world."

While India have claimed victory in six of their last eight red-ball series against Australia, the tourists enter Thursday's first contest in excellent form, topping the world Test rankings and boasting a collective batting average of 46 since the start of 2022, the best of any team in that time.

Captain Pat Cummins also believes a series win in India would rank among the team's finest achievements, adding: "Winning a series in India is like an away Ashes series, but even more rare.

"I think that really is a career highlight, an era-defining series, if you can win one over there. So that's our opportunity and we can't wait.

Steve Smith will prepare for the Ashes and Australia's likely participation in the World Test Championship final by playing three County Championship games for Sussex.

The prolific batter will face Worcestershire and Leicestershire before coming up against Australia team-mate Marnus Labuschagne in a Division Two match against Glamorgan in May.

Smith, ranked as the second-best Test batter in the world behind Labuschagne, is then expected to feature in the World Test Championship final at The Oval in June – with Australia having all-but qualified.

The former Australia captain will hope a short spell with Sussex ensures he is in great touch by the time the first Ashes Test starts against England at Edgbaston on June 16.

Smith told Sussex's official website: "I am excited about joining Sussex for a few games in May and hopefully making a contribution to a successful season.

"I am particularly looking forward to working with the younger players in the squad and hoping I can provide some guidance to them."

The 33-year-old has previous experience of playing county cricket for Worcestershire.

Smith made a staggering 30th Test century in his last appearance for his country against South Africa at the SCG this month.

Joe Root believes his decision to step down as England Test captain has been justified following a remarkable end to 2022 for Ben Stokes' red-ball side.

England became the first visiting team to win three matches in a Test series in Pakistan this week, taking them to nine victories from 10 Tests since Stokes replaced Root as skipper in April.

Prior to Root's decision to step down, England suffered a demoralising 1-0 series loss to West Indies and were thrashed 4-0 by Australia in the Ashes. 

With England now earning plaudits for their fearless style under coach Brendon McCullum and captain Stokes, Root has no regrets concerning the end of his time at the helm.

"We weren't performing," Root recalled in an interview with Sky Sports. "We weren't delivering what I thought we were capable of, and it had a massive impact on me away from cricket as well.

"If you can't even be yourself, then you aren't able to give what that role requires, lead in the right way or lead a group of players.

"For a number of reasons, it was the right thing to do, to step back. It needs someone to throw absolutely everything at it.

"As soon as I made that decision, it was quite clear that it was the right one, and I've not looked back. I gave everything to that role and threw everything at it. I am really proud of the way I went about that."

England's aggressive approach was on display as they posted their fifth-highest innings total in history (657) in their Pakistan opener, and Root feels the team's enjoyment of their new style has paid dividends.

"Brendon's got a very aggressive approach to how to play the game, I think Ben is even more aggressive! It is exciting," Root said.

"When you are 10, 12, or even younger, you're playing in the back garden – that's the feeling that you get – that raw enjoyment of smacking the ball, bowling fast, or spinning it miles. That's something you should never really lose as a player.

"It's easy to forget, in the hype of the pressurised environments and demands of constantly putting in performances and winning. But it is so important that you enjoy what you do, and you're more likely to get the best out of yourselves and it's something that we've paid quite a lot of attention to."

England will attempt to reclaim the Ashes on home soil in 2023, with the series set to begin at Edgbaston on June 16, and Root is enthusiastic about their prospects.

"Everything ramps up. The interest around Test cricket in this country goes up a notch," Root said of playing in a home Ashes series.

"It's a great opportunity for us, and with how we played our cricket under Ben last summer, it's a very exciting place to be with a big series like that coming around.

"We've proven to ourselves we can do it against two of the best teams in the world in our own conditions, so it will be great to take Australia on and take that one step further again."

Marcus Trescothick says he wishes England "were going into the Ashes next week" after a run of impressive Test results.

England's thrilling 74-run victory in the first Test against Pakistan generated huge praise for captain Ben Stokes, after his bold declaration helped to force a result on what was a flat pitch.

England have now triumphed in seven of their past eight Test matches, a stark improvement after failing to win in their previous nine.

The upturn in form bodes well ahead of a home Ashes series against Australia in 2023, with head coach Brendon McCullum's appointment in May of this year breathing new life into English cricket with an exciting new style.

England batting coach Trescothick says he cannot wait for the Ashes next year, and spoke of his admiration for McCullum's tactics.

"It is the exciting part [the Ashes]," Trescothick told reporters. "I wish we were going into the Ashes next week. If it continues on in this form then it bodes for a great series.

"As we say we do not look too far ahead in what is going on. But it is exciting, no doubt about it, because India series and Ashes series are the pinnacle of what we do in Test cricket."

Trescothick played for England between 2000 and 2006, and explained he would have loved to play in this expansive style McCullum has brought in.

"Any batter would have loved this," Trescothick added. "We would have loved this environment because it is so free.

"It is enjoyable, the methods and way we are talking about it in the changing room is exciting.

"You want to come out here every day, walk out with them and have the opportunity to bat. It is still great watching from the balcony and seeing what they do."

Steve Waugh has backed Australia to enjoy a winning run in the final months of the year as they build up confidence ahead of the Ashes, where he is fearful of a returning Jofra Archer.

Three consecutive victories in ODIs against England have put Australia in a better spot heading into a series of Tests against the West Indies and South Africa either side of the new year.

The Ashes then follows in June, with the World Cup in India to close out the year, and former Australia captain Waugh is confident about his side's chances.

"We've got a good cricket side, there's no doubt about that. We got a really good bowling attack, so they're capable of winning matches," he told Stats Perform.

"I think we'll beat West Indies pretty convincingly. Then we've got three Tests against South Africa, an emerging test side with a really good bowling attack. But I think they're batting is not quite up to standard.

"I think Australia will win most Test matches. But then they've got some hard Test matches coming up overseas. It's a long difficult period. It's 12 months of non-stop cricket for Australia."

Waugh highlighted the importance in getting wins on the board now to build up momentum for the Ashes, where Australia are looking to retain the urn.

"The Ashes is a big tournament for Australian cricket that's coming up in about less than 12 months now. We're looking towards that," he added.

"But in the meantime, they've West Indies and South Africa. I think will win those series, then we've got India away, which is really hard, and then the Ashes.

"The Ashes is hard to win. It's a tough assignment, but the guys are capable of winning.

"It's a long way off, and it might come down to which sides have fewer injuries to key players. If England have Jofra Archer playing, they're going to have a chance of winning."

Waugh also sprung to the defence of captain Pat Cummins, who has been outspoken on climate change and has come under the spotlight for his stance.

"He's realising that captaincy can be a difficult assignment. One minute people love you, the next minute they don't like you and your opinions matter," he explained.

"He's bought into the climate change issues and sponsorship. And yes, there's a few issues that have been around the side. I guess he's realised that maybe he's got more power than he thought he has.

"Whatever he says carries a lot of weight. And sometimes you've gotta be pretty careful what you say. But I think he's done a very good job as a captain on the field.

"He's learning as he goes along, which is only natural. He's pretty young for a captain."

Steve Waugh is an ambassador for the Laureus Challenge 2022, presented by Sierra Space.

England Test captain Ben Stokes hopes to have "one of the superstars of the international game" Jofra Archer fit and firing for the Ashes.

Archer has not played on the international stage since March 2021 due to injury, but returned to action for the England Lions against England this week.

The luckless paceman bowled nine overs in his first match for 16 months, not taking a wicket but rattling Zak Crawley on the helmet with a rapid bouncer in Abu Dhabi.

England will attempt to regain the Ashes from Australia on home soil next year and Stokes wants hostile quick Archer to play his part.

The all-rounder told Sky Sports: "It's been great to see him out here when we joined up with the Lions.

"It's great to see him back running with the ball in his hand. He's one of the superstars of the international game and it's great to see him running back in, bowling fast and it's really good to have him back around the group as well.

"I think he's just really excited to be back. He's obviously had a long time off with injury and as exciting as it is we've got to be careful not to rush him back as we don't want to see Jofra Archer on the sidelines for this amount of [time] again.

"That's the plan, hopefully we can have Jofra fit and ready especially for The Ashes.

"That's something that we're looking at for Jof and it would be great to have him available for selection for that."

Leg-spinning all-rounder Rehan Ahmed could become the youngest man to play a Test for England against Pakistan next month after he was added to the squad this week.

Stokes is excited by the potential the 18-year-old, who also played for the Lions in a drawn three-day match this week, possesses.

He said: "We've seen him as one of those very rare talents. To have someone at such a young age be so noticeable as a cricketer with the way that he bowls and the way that he bats.

"We saw it as a very good opportunity to get him into the squad, get him around the group, get him into the environment.

"He's a fantastic talent, he loves cricket, he just spends all his time shadow-batting in his room. He absolutely loves it.

"I'm really excited to have him into the squad, get him round the group and see what he's got."

Ben Foakes and Liam Livingstone are the two new faces offered central contracts by the England and Wales Cricket Board for the next year.

The Surrey wicketkeeper and Lancashire batsman have both been in strong form for the national side this year, with Foakes now first-choice gloveman in the Test team and Livingstone a regular figure in red-ball cricket.

They take the place of Rory Burns, who drops out due to poor form, and Alex Lees, who also loses his central contract.

A further dozen deals – split evenly between increment and pace bowling contracts – have rewarded six other players with their first offers, with Harry Brook, Matthew Potts and Reece Topley all handed the former.

Brydon Carse, Matthew Fisher and Jamie Overton are added to the latter pool, while Zak Crawley keeps his central contract despite a difficult summer.

Jofra Archer also retains his deal despite an injury-struck season, as England look to shape their side ahead of next year's Ashes series on home soil.

"I feel we have rewarded those players who have made a significant impact over the previous 12 months and those we expect to be part of England's plans over the next period," said ECB managing director Rob Key.

"The international game continues to evolve, and we must be mindful that we have to lead the way in player performance across the sport.

"The aim is to develop world-class players in all three formats as we strive to become the best team in the world.

"I would like to congratulate all the players offered agreements for the coming year. They will all play a pivotal role in England's efforts over the next 12 months."

Central Contracts: Moeen Ali (Warwickshire), James Anderson (Lancashire), Jofra Archer (Sussex), Jonathan Bairstow (Yorkshire), Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire), Jos Buttler (Lancashire), Zak Crawley (Kent), Sam Curran (Surrey), Ben Foakes (Surrey), Jack Leach (Somerset), Liam Livingstone (Lancashire), Ollie Pope (Surrey), Adil Rashid (Yorkshire), Ollie Robinson (Sussex), Joe Root (Yorkshire), Ben Stokes (Durham), Chris Woakes (Warwickshire), Mark Wood (Durham).

Increment Contracts: Harry Brook (Yorkshire), Dawid Malan (Yorkshire), Matthew Potts (Durham), Jason Roy (Surrey), Reece Topley (Surrey), David Willey (Northamptonshire).

Pace Bowling Development Contracts: Brydon Carse (Durham), Matthew Fisher (Yorkshire), Saqib Mahmood (Lancashire), Craig Overton (Somerset), Jamie Overton (Surrey), Olly Stone (Nottinghamshire).

Tim Paine failed with the bat on his return to first-class cricket as the former Australia captain made just six for Tasmania on Thursday in a Sheffield Shield clash with Queensland.

The 37-year-old wicketkeeper was playing in his first such match for 20 months, resuming a playing career that ground to a halt following a sexting scandal.

Paine stepped away from playing duties when details came to light of a historic investigation into a 2017 text message exchange between Paine and a female employee at Cricket Tasmania.

It meant he missed out on leading Australia into the 2021-22 Ashes series, resigning just weeks before the battle with England began. Paine's last first-class match had seen him represent Tasmania against Western Australia in April 2021.

A cheap dismissal on his comeback, caught by Matt Renshaw off paceman Gurinder Sandhu's bowling, saw Tasmania slip to 74-6 in their first innings, before recovering slightly to post 147 all out.

Paine took a catch in Queensland's reply, holding on to remove Renshaw and give Riley Meredith a wicket, as the home team at Allan Border Field reached 70-1 at stumps.

Former Australia Test captain Tim Paine will return to first-class cricket this week after 20 months away, resuming a playing career that ground to a halt following a sexting scandal.

The 37-year-old wicketkeeper will feature for Tasmania against Queensland in the Sheffield Shield on Thursday, despite missing out on a state contract for the season.

Paine stepped away from playing duties when details came to light of a historic investigation into a 2017 text message exchange between Paine and a female employee at Cricket Tasmania.

It meant he missed out on leading Australia into the 2021-22 Ashes series, resigning just weeks before the battle with England began. Paine's last first-class match saw him represent Tasmania against Western Australia in April 2021.

Ahead of his return at Allan Border Field in Brisbane, Paine said: "I'm pretty fresh, that's for sure."

Quoted by ABC, he added: "I've obviously been training for five, six weeks. I'm ready to go, excited, obviously a bit nervous, but looking forward to it."

Paine was backed by Tasmania coach Jeff Vaughan, who said team selectors were "quite unanimous" he should be welcomed back, describing him as "one of the world's best wicketkeepers".

"We have absolute faith and trust in Tim and his preparation," Vaughan said, quoted on cricket.com.au. "Physically he is probably in the greatest spot of his physical career, emotionally he is sound."

The return of Paine has also been backed in the Australia ranks, with T20 captain Aaron Finch saying: "I think Australian cricket is better for having Tim involved in a playing capacity."

Reports in Australia on Tuesday claimed Paine is set to give his side of the sexting story in a new book.

The England and Wales Cricket Board has confirmed the schedule for the men's and women's Ashes series in 2023, including a five-day Test for the latter.

Australia's men will start their defence of the urn at Edgbaston on June 16 and the five-match series will end earlier than usual at The Oval in a finale that will be staged from July 27-31.

Ben Stokes' England side will also face their fierce rivals at Lord's from June 28 to July 1, Headingley (July 6-10) and Old Trafford (July 19-23).

The five-day contest between England's women and the tourists will start at Trent Bridge on June 22, and will be only the second women's Test of that length ever after the same two countries played at the North Sydney Oval in 1992.

A multi-format series, the women's Ashes will see the Test match account for four points, while there will also be three ODIs and three T20Is, each worth two points.

The T20Is will be played at Edgbaston, Lord's and The Oval, the first time the venues will have hosted women's Ashes games in the format.