Prior to his long-awaited comeback to England, Jofra Archer considers himself to be “around 80%” fit, but the fast bowler is motivated to get back in the kind of shape that allowed him to shine during the 2019 Ashes and Cricket World Cup.

In addition to delivering the winning super over in the 50-over World Cup victory on home soil that year, Archer also claimed 22 wickets in the Ashes series against Australia.

His career was interrupted by elbow and back problems over the previous two years, and the 27-year-old just recently returned to competition in South Africa’s Twenty20 league, impressing with eight wickets in five games.

In the three-match ODI series against South Africa, which gets underway in Bloemfontein on Friday, Archer is expected to make his first England appearance since March 2021.

He is eager to continue where he left off because the Ashes series and World Cup are approaching this year.

Archer expressed the hope that 2019 may be repeated. “Please keep it up since the 50-over World Cup and the Ashes are both taking place in the same year.

“I need to spend the next two, three, or four months adjusting my body and strengthening my fortitude. I’ll take care of it first, and then I can anticipate having the red ball in my palm once more.

When I’m physically fit, there shouldn’t be anything that can stop me, so the question was only a matter of when.

A healthy and effective Archer would significantly help England’s efforts to defend their World Cup title and win the Ashes for the first time since 2015.

With the type of cricket they are playing, which is incredibly exciting, Archer continued, “It is a thrilling prospect to think about playing with the boys again.”

“During the weeks I spend in India, I might need to play more bowling (for the Indian Premier League). But that’s fine because I want to play in the Ashes, so I’ll have to put in the extra effort to check those boxes if I want to participate.”