Jofra Archer finished a full day’s work in the County Championship on Monday and walked off Chester-le-Street with a simple verdict: his body is good to go. The fast bowler’s first first-class appearance since May 2021 brought a single wicket – Emilio Gay trapped lbw – but, more importantly for England, no pain and no obvious limitation.
Speaking to Sussex Cricket after stumps, Archer accepted that spending 50 overs in the dirt felt alien. “I’m glad to just finish a day of four-day cricket,” he said. “Last time I played [against Kent at Hove in May 2021], I just made it to tea, so I’m glad to go all the way today.”
There was a grin when the scoreboard ticked past the half-century of overs. “When the scoreboard got to 50 overs, I was, like, ‘Jesus, time to come off now!’” he joked. “But it wasn’t too bad. Doing it session-by-session was okay, but the pitch didn’t do much.”
Chester-le-Street offered little seam or swing and, by Archer’s estimation, made the day drag. “Today could have been the longest day I’ve ever had, and not because it’s red-ball cricket,” he added. “I’ve been in the field for two-and-a-half days before, and it still didn’t feel as long as today. When the ball is moving, and you’re getting something off the pitch, it feels a bit more exciting.”
The obvious question is whether one Championship fixture provides enough evidence for a Test return later this summer, possibly as early as the Lord’s Ashes warm-up against West Indies. Archer was optimistic. “It felt all right today,” he said. “I’ve been playing for a year, and bowling for two years, including the build-up, so everything is fine.”
Importantly, the England and Wales Cricket Board did not impose any overs cap. “There have been no restrictions on this game,” he added. “Whatever I did, I did. Obviously there can’t be a limit if you’re looking at a Test match. They were in the field for a day-and-a-half [in the first Test at Headingley].”
He expanded on the logic, conscious that five-day cricket can be brutal. “You can’t have restrictions if you’re potentially going to go in. You put your body through as much pressure, safely, as possible, to put yourself in the best position.”
Archer’s 2024 campaign stalled in April when a ball fractured his right thumb during the IPL. He lumps that incident in with the broken fish-tank mishap of 2021 – annoying, yes, but not an underlying concern like the elbow and back problems that once threatened his career. “If you get cut in the kitchen with a knife, no-one’s going to call it an injury,” he said. “It’s similar with my thumb. I just got hit while batting as we do all the time, but unfortunately it got fractured. If it was my left thumb I could have carried on and no-one would know but, because it was my bowling hand, I had to give it a bit of care.”
He is philosophical about the stop-start nature of a fast bowler’s life. “But injuries are injuries. Nobody gets injured on purpose, no one knows when they will happen … it can be in the gym, or rehab, pre-hab, or whatever. If you’re supposed to get injured, there’s nothing you can do to get away from it.”
Four years away from first-class cricket challenged his belief more than his skill. “Back then, I didn’t have the choice because I didn’t think my body could hold up to it.” Now, with one Championship day banked and no aches reported, he feels differently.
Sussex will keep monitoring Archer through the match – and, crucially, over the next 48 hours when soreness tends to surface. England’s selectors, meanwhile, have another data point. One day in Durham is hardly conclusive proof, but it is a step that had looked improbable not so long ago.
If the body continues to co-operate, the 29-year-old could yet rejoin James Anderson, Ollie Robinson and company in a Test attack before the season is out. For now, a single wicket and a completed shift are enough. As Archer put it, finishing the day “all the way” felt like a win in itself.
