England fast bowler Jofra Archer is determined not to miss any matches due to injury. With the Ashes series set to begin in November, the 30-year-old Archer has declared that every ball he bowls leading up to the competition will be in preparation for facing Australia. Archer made his return to Test cricket after a four-year absence during the Third Test at Lord’s against India in the 2025-27 World Test Championships.
Since 2021, Jofra Archer had been side-lined from red-ball cricket due to a series of injuries, particularly a recurring stress fracture in his right elbow. Currently, he is playing for the Southern Brave in The Hundred and has taken 8 wickets in 6 games at an average of 16. Archer is aiming to avoid another long absence, but he is focusing on the upcoming white-ball series against South Africa and New Zealand as a build-up to the Ashes.
Jofra Archer’s views on his preparations before the Ashes.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Jofra Archer said: “I have had a lot of time off, and I don’t plan to miss any more days of cricket with injuries. We got a series before the Ashes, which is obviously in my mind. Every ball I bowl is a build-up to that.”
Road Ahead for Jofra Archer in preparation for the Ashes.
England have carefully managed his workload and as a result, Jofra Archer has been able to torment the batters with his lethal pace. After helping England secure a 22-run victory at Lord’s, Archer kept his place for the fourth Test match in Manchester which ended in a draw.
Thanks to an 8-day break between the two Test matches, Jofra Archer had ample time to test the speed gun with his scorching pace. Since re-joining England’s red-ball set up, Jofra Archer has bowled 88.3 overs, and has clocked high speeds and took nine wickets at an average of 28.66.
The Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy saw spectators eagerly watching Archer’s electrifying pace. He will aim to maintain his impressive form in the upcoming white-ball games against South Africa and New Zealand before taking on Australia in the Ashes.
We expect Jofra Archer’s workload to be managed in the white-ball games as well as he is unlikely to feature in all the games. They play South Africa first in 6 white ball games and Archer a part of both the squads will play a major part in it. But we don’t expect him to play all the matches as England will manage him well. The same will happen when they tour New Zealand for white-ball games as England are going to prepare really well for the Ashes.
Not only Jofra Archer, other bowlers that are likely to be in the Ashes will be properly managed and given breathers in white ball cricket from time to time. We also need to see the status of Mark Wood and Chris Woakes both recovering from their respective injuries. But Archer as we all agree will be the key figure and how many Tests he can play Down Under will be the key to success for England as well.
With the Ashes being a 5-match series, we expect Archer to play majority of them if fit, but not all of them since playing all 5 Tests after coming back from an injury will require a special effort. Let’s see how things unfold and how England manages Archer before the Ashes will be crucial in how many Tests he is able to play in Ashes and if he can show form that he showed in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, then he will be a handful for the Australian top order.
We will wait and see how he performs when he features first in the white-ball games against South Africa before playing the other fixtures that are lined up for him before the Ashes.
Also Read: Ashes 2025-26: Cameron Green Sets His Sights On Being an All-Rounder For Ashes.