ICC Cricket World Cup 2023: England pacer Jofra Archer believes he still has some chance to make it to the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 squad for England and he is being optimistic about it. The pacer was recently snubbed from England’s provisional squad for the marquee tournament, which essentially marked an end to his hopes of being part of the ICC World Cup 2023 in India, two months later.
Notably, Jofra Archer has been battling with a string of injuries in the recent past. his right elbow injury flared in 2020, for the first time, and since then it has troubled the pacer continuously. Despite undergoing multiple rounds of treatments, the injury seems to be far from resolved.
Earlier this year, Archer was on his way to an international comeback, however, his persistent elbow injury again flared up during his short stint with Mumbai Indians during the Indian Premier League 2023. As it turned out, Jofra had to undergo another surgery to fix his elbow which again put him on a rehab period.
Speaking on BBC Sports, Jofra Archer expressed that he is still hopeful for ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 comeback.
“I am alright. I feel a bit hopeful as well, but right now I am okay with things going as per plan. You just need a little bit of luck and a little bit of hope,” said Jofra Archer on BBC Sports.
It is noteworthy that England Cricket Board (ECB) has already announced its provisional squad for the ICC World Cup 2023, which starts on 5th October in India, and Jofra Archer hasn’t been included in the side.
The initial reactions to Jofra Archer’s snub were that he would be completely out of action during the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, but as it turns out, if everything goes as per plans, he can actually return during the back end of the tournament.
Jofra Archer racing against time to be fit for World Cup 2023
England’s chairman of selectors, John Wright, was disappointed to not have Jofra in the England squad for the World Cup, as he said the pacer is racing against time to get fit for the World event in October-November.
“We know how desperate we all are to have him – there’s no doubt about that – but we’ve also got to get it right for him. He’s been very unfortunate with these injuries.. regarding the World Cup, unfortunately, we’re just running out of time. Best-case scenario for Jof really at the moment would probably be [that he is] available for the back-end of the tournament.”
Down below is England’s provisional squad for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023:
England Squad: Jos Buttler (c), Gus Atkinson, Jonny Bairstow, Moeen Ali, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Sam Curran, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, Reece Topley, Adil Rashid, David Willey, Mark Wood, Chris Woakes.
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For more details head to ICC’s official website.