Eoin Morgan has warned England against throwing Jofra Archer into the team midway through the World Cup, saying that fast-tracking a bowler who has not played since May into the lineup “is not something that I’m thinking would be a good idea”.
Archer was supposed to travel with the squad to India last month, after being named as the team’s one travelling reserve. But instead he remained in England to continue his rehabilitation from a stress fracture to his elbow, and is not scheduled to arrive until the team moves to Mumbai after their third game of the tournament, against Afghanistan in Delhi on Sunday.
“He’s not played and we don’t know what he’s capable of,” said Morgan, who retired as England’s white-ball captain in June 2022 and is a World Cup ambassador. “Obviously the feedback when he’s trained with the team has been that he’s back bowling beautifully, but you would like to see that in a game. Given the injury issues that he’s had in recent times I think it would be naive of anybody to think [you should] just chuck him in whenever you can.”
Jos Buttler, Morgan’s replacement as captain, said Archer would “continue to build up and rehab in and around the squad”, and that his promotion should a seamer get injured is not a formality. “Obviously if he builds up and everything then should the worst case happen it’s a conversation,” he said.
But Morgan believes Ben Stokes, currently sidelined with a minor hip injury, cannot be back in the team soon enough. “He just continues to deliver when the team needs him and creates belief and confidence around that,” Morgan said.
“I think the thing that we can’t measure is how much he contributes in the changing room and how much he makes other players better around him. That would be the contribution that I would say was probably missed in Ahmedabad [when England lost to New Zealand in their opening game], and for every other game between now and the time he comes back will still be missed.”
Buttler, meanwhile, has slammed the state of the outfield in Dharamsala, where England face Bangladesh on Tuesday, describing it as “not as good as it could be or should be” and potentially bad enough for people to “question the integrity of the game”.
On Sunday the Dharamsala HPCA Stadium ground was passed fit by the International Cricket Council’s independent pitch consultant and by the match referee, Javagal Srinath, but players are concerned that the amount of sand on the surface could lead to joint and muscle injuries.
“I think it’s poor, in my own opinion,” Buttler said, after his team’s second training session at the ground. “I think any time you’re talking about being careful diving, or being careful when you’re fielding, it goes against everything you want to be as a team. You want to dive through a row of houses to save a run. It’s obviously not ideal, the way the surface is, the outfield. We won’t use it as an excuse. We’ll adapt to it. But if you feel like you’re having to hold yourself back, it’s not a place you want to be as a team, or as a player, or in a World Cup match.
“Injuries can happen at any time and on any surface, but I think it’s definitely one where you’re going to have to be a little bit careful, which isn’t what you want to be doing when you’re playing for your country. It’s not as good as it could be or should be. The powers that be are comfortable, the only thing I would question is if you’re telling players not to dive and stuff, does that question the integrity of the game, because that’s what you want to be able to do.”
Rangana Herath, Bangladesh’s spin bowling coach, said that if the ICC “think it is the standard they are seeking to play one-day internationals [on], in that case I’m happy”, and that they would not be instructing their fielders to change their approach because “if you restrict them, during that game they don’t give 100%.”
Dharamsala is due to host three further World Cup matches after Tuesday’s game, between Netherlands and South Africa on 17 October, and New Zealand’s fixtures against India and Australia on 22 and 28 October – as well as the fifth Test between England and India next March. Any injury would put at least the World Cup games in doubt. Buttler played at the HPCA for Rajasthan Royals in March – he was out for a duck – and said the surface “is different to when we played here in the IPL”.
Buttler was far more encouraged by what he saw in the middle, saying “the wicket looks fantastic”. His knowledge of the ground suggests “there can be some good pace and bounce”, and England are considering playing an extra seamer as a result. Buttler said he had “fantastic options within the squad to pick line-ups with a different balance”.
