Jofra Archer returns as England announce ODI squad for South Africa tour

England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), on Thursday, announced their squad for the three-match ODI series against South Africa, which is scheduled to begin in January 2023.

Fast bowler Jofra Archer has made his comeback in the England squad after almost two years. The right-armer last played international cricket in March 2021 as he has experienced a tough time with injuries, having first been sidelined with an elbow injury.

“Sussex and England quick Jofra Archer returns to an England squad for the first time since March 2021. He is recovering well from an elbow injury and is expected to return to international cricket in South Africa next month,” wrote ECB in an official release.

Apart from Archer, pacer Reece Topley has also returned in the squad. He was earlier ruled out of England’s T20 World Cup winning campaign on the eve of the tournament. Ben Duckett and Harry Brook have retained their places following their magnificent tour of Pakistan.

Brook and Duckett were England’s two leading run scorers in both the T20I and Test series and will be hoping to cement their place in the ODI outfit ahead of the 2023 50-over World Cup. While Brook has earned his maiden ODI call-up, Duckett makes to the squad for the first time since 2016. He has earlier played three ODIs for England, having scored 123 runs at an average of 41.

The three-match ODI series against South Africa starts on January 27 in Bloemfontein and will end in Kimberley on February 1. Notably, this series is being played to make up for the 2020 tour that England abandoned due to Covid concerns.

England’s ODI squad for South Africa tour:

Jos Buttler, Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Harry Brook, Sam Curran, Ben Duckett, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Jason Roy, Phil Salt, Olly Stone, Reece Topley, David Willey, Chris Woakes.