County Championship: Jofra Archer takes first red-ball wicket since 2021 for Sussex as he pushes for England Test return | Cricket News


England paceman Jofra Archer marked his return to first-class action for Sussex with a wicket on day two of the Rothesay County Championship Division One match at Durham.

Sussex resumed on 322-9, having seen Archer make a late cameo with the bat on Sunday for a swift 31, with James Coles finishing unbeaten on 148 as they were eventually dismissed for 361.

Archer – playing his first red-ball match for Sussex since May 2021 following a string of injuries – struck in the 33rd over when he trapped Emilio Gay lbw for 37.

Jofra Archer
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Jofra Archer celebrated a wicket on day two of his County Championship return

Durham went on to reach 249-5 at stumps, with Colin Ackermann scoring 65 and Graham Clark unbeaten on 45, as Archer finished with figures of 1-28 from his 14-over spell.

“Now I know my body can hold up to it, the mental part of the game (is a greater issue),” Archer told BBC Radio Sussex.

“Over the next couple of days I’m going to have a battle with it. It’s all good. I’ll keep trucking along. When the scoreboard got to 50 overs I was like, ‘It’s time to come off now’, but we got to the end of day and it wasn’t that bad.”

Jofra Archer
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Archer has previously made 13 Test appearances for England

Archer could yet come into the reckoning for England’s five-match Test series against India this summer, ahead of a winter Ashes tour of Australia, having last featured for the Test side in February 2021.

Asked if he felt ready to return to Test cricket, Archer replied: “I guess so. I just want to get through the game. I’m glad I’ve finished a day of four-day cricket.”

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England selector Luke Wright confirmed earlier this month that there are plans that Jofra Archer may make a Test return this summer

Anderson wickets help put Lancashire on top

In Division Two, stand-in Lancashire captain James Anderson picked two early wickets against Kent to help dismiss the visitors for 374.

Anderson – England’s all-time leading Test wicket-taker – made a breakthrough in Monday’s morning session when he dismissed Jack Leaning (four) off his first ball of the day and then had Joey Evison out for a 12-ball duck in his next over.

Kent opener Ben Compton went on to complete his century, eventually dismissed on 135, before Lancashire – without regular skipper Marcus Harris due to the birth of his second child – finished 120-1 and with Luke Wells 57 not out.

England vs India Test series ☀️

All games at 11am UK and Ireland; all live on Sky Sports

  • First Test: Friday June 20-Tuesday June 24 – Headingley
  • Second Test: Wednesday July 2-Sunday July 6 – Edgbaston
  • Third Test: Thursday July 10-Monday July 14 – Lord’s
  • Fourth Test: Wednesday July 23-Sunday July 27 – Emirates Old Trafford
  • Fifth Test: Thursday July 31-Monday August 4 – The Kia Oval



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