- England relies on Jofra Archer's "fear factor" for the T20I series against Pakistan.
- Archer has been absent from professional cricket due to an elbow injury.
- The team wants to play together and get used to their roles again.
Archer, who celebrated his 29th birthday in April, has been absent from professional cricket since withdrawing from the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 due to elbow discomfort. However, he has resumed playing domestic cricket and his much-anticipated return is imminent.
Recently, Archer showcased his top form during the Second Eleven Championship match, bowling at Beckenham on May 17. England’s all-rounder Sam Curran is looking forward to Archer’s contribution in the forthcoming series.
“It’s incredibly exciting to have a player of his quality,” all-rounder Curran commented on Monday. "I’m sure England fans and players are extremely buzzed to have him back.
"He’s obviously got that extra pace and fear factor we can bring to opposition. We all hope his injuries are behind him now.
“Jof’s had a really tough couple of years — we all hope he can come back and do what he does for England and bring the A game that we know he’s got.”
As the reigning T20 champions, England is keen to regain their top form before their World Cup defense kicks off in the West Indies in June. Jos Buttler’s team had a disappointing 50-over World Cup last year in India and they are determined to avoid a repeat this year.
“The messaging from Jos [Buttler] and the coaching staff was they wanted to get the group back together and we probably didn’t have that last time,” Curran noted.
"We’ve been apart for a while so these games are going to be really crucial. We want to be playing as a team and get used to our roles.
“There’s a lot of buzz around the group, it seems like we’re back to our energy and it seems like the boys are really fizzed about this trophy hopefully coming back.”
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