Jofra Archer has stepped up his recovery from injury by playing for his old school team in the Barbados Cricket Association’s second tier – without telling anyone at the England and Wales Cricket Board that he was doing so.
As a centrally contracted player Archer’s schedule should be controlled by the ECB, and he has been blocked from playing in the Indian Premier League next year to prioritise his recovery from a long‑term, recurring problem with his right elbow. But on Sunday the 28-year-old played for Christ Church Foundation against Lords, taking four for 18 – three with his right-arm seam and one with the left-arm spin that he often wheels out in training sessions – as Lords were bowled out for 114. It is a three-day game, which is paused for the rest of the working week before concluding this weekend, but Archer returned to the UK on Sunday night and is not expected to play any further part.
