England pacer Jofra Archer has said he is ready to sacrifice the five-Test series against India, scheduled to be held in in August-September, so that he can be fully fit for the T20 World Cup and Ashes later this year.
“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 Twenty20 World Cup and Ashes later this year,” Archer wrote in his column for 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,” he added.
At present, Archer will surely miss the New Zealand series, where England will play two Test matches from June 2.
“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,” wrote Archer before adding that if his injury doesn’t heal this time he will not play any cricket,” he further wrote adding: :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.”
The T20 World Cup will be held in October-November and the Ashes series will begin from December 8.
“I am not going to do myself any good by coming back before I’m fully fit, so I will take my time. The bandages are off and I have spoken to the consultant since, but everything is still very fresh and I remain sore after what was a career-defining moment last Friday,” he added.