Archer to turn out for Wildey

Barbados-born England fast bowler Jofra Archer is expected to play for local club, Wildey when the Barbados Cricket Association (BCA) Twenty20 Cup tournament opens on Sunday.

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.

(CMC)