Jofra Archer has been backed to play a starring role for England in the Ashes and at the World Cup by his former housemate.
Archer is back in action for the Mumbai Indians at the IPL after a minor setback with yet more elbow surgery in Belgium, but he has been tipped to have a similar effect as he did in 2019 on the England side this summer.
Saqib Mahmood spent a few weeks living with Archer in Barbados at the back end of 2022 as the pair both fought back from injuries. And he reckons as long as Archer is smart about his workload, he can once again be a huge threat in international cricket this year.
“Jofra will absolutely be a big gun player for England this summer,” said Mahmood. “If you just look at whenever he comes back into the side his numbers are incredible. He got a six wicket haul in South Africa then put in consistent performances in Bangladesh and he’s shown that he has taken back to international cricket so well.
“With everything to come this summer and later this year that is great to see for England, because he is such an exciting player. I think with Jof, and indeed for myself, when you’re coming back from injuries you’ve got to be smart in how much you do.
“He’s got to be smart about when to take a backwards step and look after himself because the Ashes and then the World Cup are the most important events to get ready for and you don’t want to run out of juice at the latter stages. The key is to manage the workload and the expectations at different points so that he can fire on all cylinders when he is really needed.”
Mahmood is currently proving his worth for Lancashire in the County Championship after speaking to England chief and selector Rob Key about what the team want from him. Two Tests against the West Indies has given Mahmood a taste of the highest level, but after a stress fracture of the back he is desperate for more.
“I spoke to Rob Key and there was a message about the way they want me to bowl,” he said. “It is about me running in hard and getting as much as I can out of the conditions. I reversed the older ball against Somerset which was good and is a skill I’ll need to try and get wickets with.
“I know what the level is for England and it is about me getting back up there and beyond to be ready for the Ashes and if I make that squad, great.”
If Mahmood remains down the pecking order for the Ashes he will soon turn his attention to white ball cricket with a big summer in the Hundred followed by a 50-over World Cup in India. And the 26-year-old reckons a big tournament for the Oval Invincibles could go a long way to securing a World Cup squad berth as it did for Tymal Mills in 2021.
Mahmood added: “At the moment there is a really red ball focus. Giving it everything I’ve got to be a part of that Ashes squad. If I’m in it, great, but if I’m not then you can shift focus to white ball cricket because the rest of the year is all about short form cricket.
“There is a lot on the Hundred this year. I think it can be the difference in places in the team. I remember back in 2021 when Tymal Mills had a really good Hundred and went up the pecking order and played in the T20 World Cup."
