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England white-ball captain Jos Buttler confirmed that star pacer Jofra Archer is fit and will make his eagerly awaited return to international cricket when the Three Lions take on Pakistan in the opening T20I on Wednesday.
Archer is one of cricket's most exciting bowlers whose career has been derailed by injuries. The 29-year-old has barely featured for England in any format since 2021, mainly because of ongoing issues with his right elbow for which he has undergone two operations. A back injury ruled him out of most of 2022. His last appearance for England dates back to May 2023, and since then, he has been on the road to recovery from an elbow injury that forced him out for nearly 12 months. Buttler said Archer is back fit and bowling fast as they prepare to take on Pakistan in the four-match series against Pakistan. The England captain was asked if Archer would play in the first T20I, and Buttler said "Yes." "I think we just have to manage him through and see how it goes but he's fully fit now which is really exciting. He has a big smile on his face. It's great to see him back fit and bowling fast - and just having him back around the group. I know how much he has missed that," Buttler said as quoted by Sky Sports. England's white-ball skipper added on Archer's return said, "He has a big smile on his face. It's great to see him back fit and bowling fast - and just having him back around the group. I know how much he has missed that." The path back hasn't been easy for Archer - since 2021, he has encountered multiple obstacles, including stress fractures, persistent elbow problems and even surgery due to a freak fish tank accident. "We've got to temper expectations, he's been out of international cricket for a long time and you can never quite replicate that, but we all know what a superstar he has been. Any player of Jofra's calibre is a huge asset to any team, so absolutely it makes us a better side and gives us a better and gives us better chance of winning games," he added. "But we're not expecting too much from him too soon. It's important that he just enjoys being back and playing cricket. As England captain, and as a fan, people want to see Jofra playing cricket which is going to be great," the England captain said. The T20I series will begin on May 22 at Headingley Carnegie and will conclude on May 30 at The Oval, London. For the series England even recalled their players back from the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. England squad: Jos Buttler (c), Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Jonathan Bairstow, Harry Brook, Sam Curran, Ben Duckett, Tom Hartley, Will Jacks, Chris Jordan, Liam Livingstone, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Reece Topley and Mark Wood. (ANI)
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