‘We are planning for him to be available in ODI World Cup’ - Matthew Mott opens up on Jofra Archer’s return

In the last couple of years, ace pacer Jofra Archer has suffered multiple injuries, which has kept him out of action for the majority of the time. He returned to action in the inaugural edition of the SA20 and also played for England in the ODI series against South Africa. Post that, Archer played a few matches in the 16th edition of the Indian Premier League, where he picked up another injury, which ruled him out of the England summer.

Currently, he is in rehabilitation as his return date is unknown. England white-ball coach Matthew Mott, meanwhile, stated that the team management is leaving no stone unturned for him to be available in the upcoming ODI World Cup, which is slated to begin on October 5. Mott agrees that the timeline is tight but they are nevertheless giving everything they could for him to recover soon.

“There is a high chance that we will take risk on a proven performer that has done it on the world stage. We are planning for him to be available. Obviously, a lot of things have to go his way and it will be a tight timeline but with players like that you are going to give them every opportunity to prove their fitness, and so we will keep an open mind,” Mott told Mail Sport.

“It would be a big ask for him (Archer) to play every game, so we would have to target specific ones, but we are big on ball speed for India, we feel like that’s a really important asset for us to have out there and it will be good to see Mark Wood, who had such an impact in the Ashes, do the same with the white ball,” the 49-year-old added.

Notably, England will play their first game on October 5 against New Zealand at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. When it comes to the squad selection, all the teams will have to submit their provisional squad on September 5 and the final squad by September 27 after which, Jofra Archer’s participation in the mega tournament will be confirmed.