England pacer Jofra Archer said not playing in the Men's T20 World Cup and the Ashes in 2021 were the 'hardest pills' to swallow. He added that he is taking small steps in recovering from the elbow injury and didn't give any exact hint on when he will get back to playing cricket.Archer was ruled out of a large part of cricketing action in 2021 due to a persistent elbow injury which saw him missing the ODIs against India in March 2021. He underwent an operation in May which kept him out of the Men's T20 World Cup and the Ashes.A second surgery on the injured right elbow meant Archer's planned comeback in the series against the West Indies will not happen.
"The hardest two pills I've had to swallow were not playing in the Twenty20 World Cup and the Ashes but other than that everything has been so good since. With the Test team coming next month it will allow me to train with higher intensity as well. I couldn't have written the script. Everything's happened just for me, I reckon. That's how it feels," Archer was quoted as saying by Daily Mail.
Archer affirmed that he is keen to play Test cricket for England despite being out of action for so long due to the elbow injury. "Watching the Ashes, I felt like I had let everyone down a little bit, when you see fast bowlers taking 90 per cent of the wickets but you don't get injured on purpose. Of course, I want to be part of making this England team a success, but this past year has taught me that you can plan all you want, then something happens to change everything."The 26-year-old has refused to pinpoint a certain date on his comeback to cricket. "Within myself I know I am not ready yet but having access to the doctors, the physio and removing the need to go back to England feels like a real plus. I feel like I am stealing time right now. Right now, I can do everything but it's small steps."I have no idea when I will be playing matches, I am just trying to build up and it's all about what I can tolerate at any given time. That's all. I've had a few rehabs now and sometimes it can get to a level where you aggravate your hand, and you have to back off a little bit."Then, when you do come back a few days later, it's able to handle some load through it. I've waited long enough so it makes no sense rushing the last bit. I've got five months at my disposal, so it will be whenever I'm ready," concluded Archer.