It will be a pretty magical moment for Jofra Archer when he walks on to the Kensington Oval on Tuesday, with his friends, family and, if the dream he outlined a couple of weeks ago comes to pass, perhaps even his beloved bulldogs looking on. Jos Buttler’s England begin their T20 World Cup defence – Scotland first up – and their chances of a repeat have only increased with the fast bowler’s homecoming in this tournament.
Those recent warm-ups against Pakistan in the UK were a just pair of boxes being ticked, truth be told. A precious asset of beguiling pace and skill, Archer was advised by Rob Key not to set any targets during that most recent 14-month absence with an elbow stress fracture. But thoughts of a first international on the island where it all began were his sustenance; the tropical sunshine at the end of a particularly dark tunnel.
