England fast bowler Jofra Archer has been given the all-clear to resume training after a hand operation – but no decision has yet been made on when he will return to playing.
The 26-year-old recently had successful surgery to remove a fragment of glass that had become lodged in the middle finger on his right hand while he cleaned a fish tank at home in January.
Archer was previously ruled out of England’s one-day internationals against India in March as well as the start of the IPL due to a right elbow injury, which has recently been treated with an injection.
In a statement, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said that Archer has been given the all-clear by his hand consultant and will return to “light training” this week, working with the Sussex and England medics.
The hope is that Archer will be able to increase his bowling intensity the following week.
The ECB added of Archer: “A further update on his elbow injury will be provided once he has returned to bowling to assess the effectiveness of his recent injection. No decision has been made as yet on when Archer is due to return to playing.”
The ECB also said that the cut to Archer’s finger was managed throughout the multi-format tour of India and that it did not impact his availability.
Archer missed two of the four Tests against India earlier this year due to his right elbow issue but played in all five T20 internationals before he was subsequently ruled out of the 50-over matches.
The seamer is now sitting out at least the early stages of Rajasthan Royals’ IPL campaign, which began with a four-run defeat to Punjab Kings in a thriller at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium on Monday.
Royals’ team director Kumar Sangakkara said on Sunday that while he hopes Archer will play some part in the IPL, Rajasthan will not rush the bowler back and jeopardise his England future.
Sangakkara said: “We have to be concerned about him as a player because his career is long-term and is not restricted to just one season and the IPL.
“His value to world cricket and to England cricket is part of our decision and we will be guided by the experts in English cricket who look after Jofra.
“It’s not something we look at selfishly and we take a holistic view of how important Jofra is.
“We are certainly hoping that he will be available for some part of the IPL but we have contingency plans in place now and no risks will be taken.”
Archer has played 13 Tests, 17 ODIs and 12 T20 internationals since making his England debut in the summer of 2019, taking 86 wickets across the formats.
