It is a lonely existence being an injured fast bowler, handling the demons inside as they naturally worry about never regaining full fitness, and then have to endure watching on the sidelines while a big series captures the nation’s attention. It is devastating for Archer, who has put so much into his rehabilitation and wanted to repay the faith of England and his other employers around the world.

Now he is heading home and you suspect it will be better for him, and allow England to focus on who is fit, if a decision is made soon on his Test match availability. He has since bowled quickly for Mumbai Indians in four matches but not without pain and that is significant.

It is always hard to gauge the mood with Archer because England give so little away over injuries and it was only when Telegraph Sport revealed recently he had travelled to Belgium for treatment that it became public that he had undergone more medical intervention. England cannot afford to go into a Test with a bowler’s health in question, especially with Ben Stokes handicapped by his knee injury. We should have taken him at face value then and England would gladly grab that if offered now.īut he would have to prove his fitness in a four day game for Sussex first, bowling two or three spells in a day, because it is backing up the overs that proves a bowler’s fitness, and then doing it again in the second innings. It was always optimistic to believe he would be fit for much of the Ashes and Archer himself said in March he would be happy to play in just one game. This is bowling four overs in T20, and not in one go either, and with several days rest in between as well. Archer is returning from the IPL so England can keep a closer eye on him because it turns out “pushing through the discomfort whilst recently playing, hoping it will settle, has proven challenging.” Such is the rarity of pace in English cricket that every Jofra Archer injury update is projected with deeper meaning and inevitably the latest is cast in an Ashes light.

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