England captain Jos Buttler insists he is excited by the return of ‘proper superstar’ Jofra Archer ahead of the T20 World Cup.
Archer has not played top-level cricket for over a year but looked fit and fast as he featured for the Sussex second XI against Kent this week.
The 29-year-old, who starred in England’s World Cup win in 2019, took 1-11 in six overs at Beckenham on Friday after being parachuted into the match on day four.
Despite his injury issues, Archer was recalled for England’s T20 World Cup defence and is set to feature in the warm-up series against Pakistan which begins on Wednesday.
‘It’s a huge encouragement for him to be back and see him ready to play,’ said Buttler, who will captain England at the upcoming T20 World Cup in the United States and the Caribbean.
‘Everyone knows what he is capable of and the attitude he possesses. As a captain he is someone you can always turn to in a game because he always has a trick up his sleeve.
‘It’s great to be able to call on him but it’s important to manage expectations. He has been out of it for a while now so we will need to look after him and realise that it might just take him a little while to be the Jofra of 2019.
‘He is a proper superstar but we do have to be smart with him. It’s a jump in intensity from what he’s doing now to international cricket and you can’t really replicate it.’
Archer, who has taken 102 wickets in 49 matches for England, could be a key player for Buttler and head coach Matthew Mott as they look to retain the T20 World Cup.
England lifted their second T20 World Cup trophy two years ago in Australia and kick-start their 2024 defence against Scotland on June 4.
Archer, who has had a recurring elbow injury since 2020, will focus on white-ball cricket this year before potentially returning to the Test game in 2025, when England host India in a five-match series and travel Down Under to try to win back the Ashes.
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