England receive World Cup boost with good news on star quick

Former England assistant coach Paul Farbrace has revealed star quick Jofra Archer is on track to return from injury and feature at this year ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup.

Archer played a key role in helping England to a first World Cup title when they defeated New Zealand in a thrilling final at the most recent edition of the 50-over showcase in 2019, with the right-armer claiming 20 wickets during the tournament to be among the leading wicket-takers.

But Archer has been battling injuries for much of the last few years, with the 28-year-old most recently featuring for his country in white-ball tours of South Africa and Bangladesh at the start of this year until a back injury flared up in May that caused him to miss the ongoing Ashes series against Australia.

But Farbrace – who coaches Archer at County side Sussex and played a key role in England’s white-ball setup prior to their World Cup success in 2019 – said the towering quick is recovering well and likely to feature at this year’s tournament in India.

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“He is going well,” Farbrace told BBC Radio 5 Live.

“I think he is on course for the World Cup, which is fantastic news.”

Archer hasn’t played a Test for England since he featured against India at Ahmedabad back in 2021 and Farbrace knows the right-armer is good enough to play for his country again in all three formats.

However, Farbrace believes if Archer is to brush off his ongoing injury concerns and remain fit in the future then England must plot a path that helps him maintain his fitness.

“He is going nicely,” Farbrace said.

“I think England will need to work out how to get the best out of him over the next few years if he is to go to that next Ashes series (in 2025).”