3 reasons why Jofra Archer must not play red-ball cricket in the near future

England pace sensation Jofra Archer is one of the most exciting and feared bowlers in world cricket today. Archer made his debut for England in May 2019 and had an immediate impact by starring in the team's 50-over World Cup triumph a couple of months later.

Ahead of his International debut, Archer was already a valuable cricketer in T20 leagues for numerous franchises. Most people took notice of the 28-year-old Archer in the 2017-19 and 2018-19 Big Bash League (BBL) while playing for the Hobart Hurricanes.

Archer's ability to generate extreme pace with a mean bouncer and yorker made him one of the best bowlers in no time. His heroics in bowling the Super Over for England in the World Cup final and defending 15 runs against New Zealand put the entire cricketing world on notice.

Soon after, Jofra Archer made his Test debut in the Ashes of 2019 and bowled one of the most hostile spells to Australian star Steve Smith in the second match at Lords. He also bagged his first five-wicket haul in the third Test of the series, helping England level the series at one game apiece.

However, after a heroic start to his career, Archer has been plagued by one injury after the other over the last couple of years.

In 2021, Archer underwent two operations for an elbow injury that ruled him out of international cricket for a year. He was subsequently ruled out of the English summer in 2022 due to a back stress fracture.

Archer finally returned to the English team for the three-match ODI series against South Africa and picked up six wickets in the final match of the series, which England lost 1-2.

He was slated to play the entire Indian Premier League (IPL) season for the Mumbai Indians after missing the last year but played only five of their first 10 games due to the recurrence of the elbow injury and was finally ruled out of the remainder of the tournament.

As per the latest reports, Jofra Archer will also miss the entire English summer, including the Ashes, which begins on June 16, due to the recurrence of the stress fracture in his right elbow.

Experts like Ian Bishop and Kevin Pieterson have suggested Archer's workload be better managed and the pacer avoid playing in red-ball cricket.

With the 50-over World Cup just a few months away, let us look at three reasons why Jofra Archer must not play red-ball cricket soon.

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#1 Maximize Jofra Archer's chances of playing in the upcoming 50-over and T20 World Cups

Jofra Archer is one of the most lethal cricketers in the white-ball formats of the game thanks to his pace, wicket-taking ability at any stage, and death bowling skills.

In his brief International career, Archer has picked up 37 wickets in 19 ODIs at an incredible average of 22.72. He has also picked up 14 wickets in T20Is at an average of 26.50.

With the 50-over World Cup set to be played in India later this year, Archer's experience of bowling on Indian pitches during his IPL stints will be valuable for England to try and defend their title.

England will also want the pacer to be fit for the T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the United States in June 2024.

Considering a crucial upcoming year of white-ball cricket, England will be better served not to play Jofra Archer in Test cricket for a while.

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#2 Workload Management

Playing all three formats of international cricket and the numerous T20 leagues has become a daunting task for cricketers. Many have retired from one of the formats to manage their workload and avoid injuries or burnout.

Jofra Archer is among the most sought-after cricketers in franchise cricket while being an integral part of England's plans.

His injury history and the toll bowling at express pace has on the body make it virtually impossible for him to play all forms of the game.

Considering the Test format is played over five days with a possibility of needing to bowl close to 20 overs in a day, Archer might struggle with fitness issues, leading him to miss time frequently.

Hence, it may be worthwhile to manage Jofra Archer's workload by playing him only in the white-ball formats as part of workload management to reduce his injury chances.

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#3 To completely recover from injury and prolong his career

Jofra Archer has been suffering one injury after another over the last two years, and his return a couple of times has been derailed due to a recurrence of a similar injury.

Considering the daunting needs of the red-ball format, Archer should be allowed to completely recover and play only the shorter formats before England play him in Tests.

Archer also does not boast great numbers in red-ball cricket, averaging only 31.04 in 13 Tests, making sense to prioritize his presence for a longer time in white-ball over playing him in all three formats.

Reducing his participation in the Test arena could also help Jofra Archer prolong his career by giving him more recovery time to help avoid frequent injuries.