"Jofra at some point will have a massive impact in the Ashes" - Robert Key
England men's cricket team's managing director Robert Key has earmarked Jofra Archer to make a massive impact in the upcoming Ashes series. Key also expects Archer to be available for the one-off Test against Ireland, starting on June 1.
Archer has missed a large chunk of matches for the Mumbai Indians in IPL 2023 due to his recurring elbow injury. The ace pacer has featured in only three IPL 2023 games and hasn't played a Test since March 2021.
Speaking at Bob Willis Fund golf day, Key stated that although England have a wealth of fast bowlers to choose from, he expects Archer to come to the fore at some point. He explained:
"We're going to select for the Ireland test, so hopefully he'll be available for selection for that, at this point, I'm assuming he will be. Then we've got a crop of bowlers, Ben has spoken about how he wants eight bowlers, at least, ready for the Ashes, which we've got and more actually.
"We expect Jofra to be a massive part of that, and I think Jofra at some point will have a massive impact in the Ashes."
Archer rattled the Australians with his express pace during the 2019 Ashes series in England, taking 22 wickets in four Tests.
"He was a massive part of the success we had last summer" - Robert Key on Jonny Bairstow
Opening up on Jonny Bairstow's availability, Robert Key suggested that England don't want to rush the wicketkeeper-batter to international cricket. However, he was quick to add that seeing Bairstow back in action is an encouraging sign.
Key said:
"He was a massive part of the success we had last summer, the way that he played, he was one of the best batsman in the world I'd say at that point, he's a fantastic player.
"But we've purposely just said to him said 'Jonny you've got to get yourself fit', he had a horrific injury playing golf actually, as people know, and the problem is you start to think 'what do we do here, what do we do here' and it's like we just need to see him back fit. It's down to him as well, to go out there and do what he thinks is the best way for him to get back in the side. It's just really great to see him back playing."
Bairstow, who suffered a freak leg injury last summer, recently scored 97 off 88 balls for the Yorkshire XI against Nottinghamshire. He hammered four centuries in the last home season, including two against India.