(Cricket News) Jofra Archer’s rehabilitation from a long-term elbow injury is being overseen by the ECB, but things went wrong this week when it was discovered that the fast bowler had played for his old school team in Barbados without the England management’s knowledge.

Archer was recently signed to a two-year ECB central contract, but he has not played for the English team in white-ball since March 2021, during which time he suffered a stress fracture in his back and a fractured right elbow.

The deal was an expression of faith in a player who, at age 28, still has room for a lengthy career as and when he can regain his full fitness. The player is still regarded as one of the top stars in the world and excelled for England in their 2019 World Cup success.

The team’s managing director, Rob Key, told the media that Archer had been pulled from next week’s IPL auction so that the management could “be in control” of his rehabilitation. However, Key was taken aback when it was revealed that Archer had played for his old school, Foundation, against Lords in Division One of the Barbados Cricket Association League over the weekend.

It was also an attempt to monitor the speed of that recovery, away from the competing demands of the T20 franchise circuit.

When told about Archer’s exploits, Key responded, “I am not aware of that.” The match is scheduled to conclude next weekend. Archer’s team faced permanent relegation if they lost. On day one of the three-day match, he claimed 4 for 18, helping to bowl Lords out for 114, mostly bowling pace but with one wicket falling to his left-arm spin. He also made 11 as Foundation reached 78 for 8 at the end of play.

While he is thought to have returned to the UK, Archer was training with the England white-ball team during the recent ODI series. With the T20 World Cup scheduled for the Caribbean in June and July, England is still hopeful that he can be gradually brought back to fitness in the upcoming six months and contribute to the team’s defense of the title that Jos Buttler’s team won in Melbourne in November 2022.

“Jofra was bowling out here,” Key stated. “We are just going to take it slow with him. We do not want to put any sort of deadlines on him. That is what we have done in the past, we are trying to learn from what we have done in the past with Jofra. As you often see with Jofra, you think ‘what is going to happen here?’ and he ends up bowling 95 miles an hour and he looks like an absolute genius.”

“We are taking charge of his return now. We will not say you have to come back for this part. Based on what they have said, an elbow injury is a complicated place to have an injury, so we just want to take things as slowly as possible.

“Jofra was excited to participate in the IPL auction, but we just feel like, really, the best way to do this right now is just for us to be in control. There is no commitment either way, and we can then just bring you back. “If it takes an additional couple of months, but he ends up with another couple of years in his career, and gets fully recovered… I believe he is worth his weight in gold.”

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