Jofra Archer has been actively rehabilitating from his injury by participating in matches for his former school team in the second tier of the Barbados Cricket Association. Surprisingly, he did not inform anyone at the England and Wales Cricket Board about his involvement.

The ECB has control over Archer’s schedule as a centrally contracted player and has prevented him from participating in the Indian Premier League next year in order to prioritize his recovery from a recurring issue with his right elbow. However, on Sunday, the 28-year-old played for Christ Church Foundation against Lords and took four wickets for 18 runs. He used both his right-arm seam and left-arm spin, which he often practices with in training sessions. The game is a three-day match and will resume this weekend after being paused for the week, but Archer returned to the UK on Sunday night and will not be playing any further in the match.

Archer grew up in Barbados but relocated to England at 20 years old in 2015. He has been recuperating in England after worsening his injury during a short trip to India in October to join the World Cup team. On Friday, he participated in practice with the England squad, who are currently in Barbados for a white-ball tour.

On Monday, Rob Key, the managing director of England’s men’s cricket team, was asked if he knew about Archer playing in the club match. He responded, “I am not aware of it.” Key also mentioned Archer’s possibility of playing in the IPL and stated, “Jofra wanted to be a part of the auction, but we believe it would be best for us to handle it ourselves. It may take a little longer, but if it means extending his career by a few years and getting him fully recovered, it is worth it.”

Andrew Flintoff arrived in Barbados over the weekend and participated in training for the first time on Monday. He will be joining England’s coaching staff for the five-match Twenty20 series against West Indies, which begins on Tuesday in Barbados and ends on December 21st in Trinidad.

Source: theguardian.com