Looking forward to have Jofra Archer fit for ‘The Ashes’, reveals Ben Stokes
Ben Stokes has expressed hope over Jofra Archer’s availability saying the team is expecting him to be fit in order to play the upcoming Ashes series. Stokes further praised young gun Rehan Ahmed ahead of his debut series saying he is a rare talent and will provide crucial contributions.
Ever since Jofra Archer appeared on the scene in international cricket, he has been the talk of the town with his express pace. The right-arm pacer was fast-tracked by England in international cricket and has scalped 42 Test wickets from 24 innings so far. However, a series of injuries kept him away from competitive cricket since March last year. This week, he has returned to action with a game between England Lions and England.
Speaking about Archer’s role in the side, Test skipper Ben Stokes has stated that he should not be rushed for a return to international cricket as the team is looking forward to getting him fit for the upcoming Ashes series.
"I think he is just really excited to be back. He has obviously had a long time off with injury and as exciting as it is we have got to be careful not to rush him back as we do not want to see Jofra Archer on the sidelines for this amount of again," Stokes said, quoted Sky Sports.
"That is the plan, hopefully, we can have Jofra fit and ready especially for 'The Ashes'. That is something that we are looking at for Jof and it would be great to have him available for selection for that," he added.
England have included youngster Rehan Ahmed in the upcoming Test series against Pakistan. He has picked nine wickets from four first-class innings at an economy of 3.64. Stokes opined that he is a rare talent while also praising his dedication to the game.
"We have seen him as one of those very rare talents. To have someone at such a young age be so noticeable as a cricketer with the way that he bowls and the way that he bats. We saw it as a very good opportunity to get him into the squad, get him around the group, get him into the environment," Stokes said.
"He is a fantastic talent, he loves cricket, and he just spends all his time shadow-batting in his room. He absolutely loves it. I am really excited to have him into the squad, get him round the group, and see what he has got," Stokes concluded.
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