"Never really had a thought of trying to give up on any of the formats as yet" - Jofra Archer
England speedster Jofra Archer has declared that he has no desire to give up either of the formats yet despite battling injuries frequently. While the right-arm pacer admitted the need to manage his workload, he wants to make himself available for much of the cricket at his disposal.
Archer marked his long-awaited return to competitive cricket this year for the Mumbai Indians Cape Town in SA20. The Barbadian played his first international match in January since March 2021 after undergoing multiple surgeries to treat his elbow, which forced him to miss two T20 World Cups and an away Ashes series.
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Speaking to ESPN Cricinfo, Archer said he still desires to play red-ball cricket and wants to see how the present year goes regarding his injuries.
"I still want to play as much red-ball cricket as possible. I've never really had a thought of trying to give up on any of the formats as yet. Let me get through this year and see how the body's feeling, but I don't plan to give up any of the three. I may have to manage my workloads for at least a year, and that's absolutely fine with me. But I want to make the most of all the cricket that is available to me."
The 28-year-old underlined that everything has gone to plan so far and that the England and Mumbai Indians camps have welcomed him with open arms.
"I'm really, really happy with how everything has gone so far. It's still pretty tough, coming back and trying to manage expectations, and everything else that comes with it. But my brief experience has been really good. It really has been great to be back around the England team. Just like here at Mumbai, everyone has welcomed me back with open arms, and I'm glad I got those opportunities to try and win some games for the team."
On Wednesday, an irate Archer came down hard on a British media outlet which reported that the fast bowler had left IPL 2023 midway and flown to Belgium for a minor elbow procedure. The Barbadian criticized the outlet for releasing such news without knowing his side of the story. The former Rajasthan Royals pacer fetched INR 8 crore from the Mumbai Indians last year, but did not play a game and has featured in two this year.
"We are going to give it our best shot" - Jofra Archer on the 2023 World Cup
Speaking of England's chances at the 2023 World Cup in India, Archer remained skeptical about the wickets but felt that the team was capable of playing well anywhere.
"I've never played in India in the latter part of the year. We don't know if the wickets will be different, but we'll have all the information that we need beforehand. I think our boys can play anywhere in the world, not just here. We are going to give it our best shot - I can tell you that for sure. Sometimes tournaments don't go your way, but sometimes you just need a little bit of luck, that's all."
Jofra Archer made his England debut less than three months ago, and has just bowled the winning Super Over in a World Cup final.
Has there ever been a better start to an international career?
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The ICC is yet to release the schedule for the 2023 Cricket World Cup slated to begin in October this year.