Jofra Archer to join England Lions squad in UAE as rehab ramps up

Jofra Archer’s rehabilitation from long-term injury will step up a notch next month when he joins the England Lions squad for their training camp in the UAE.

The pace bowler has not played since July 2021 and missed the English summer with a stress fracture of his lower back, having also suffered with a long-term elbow injury.

Archer will travel for training along with fellow bowlers Saqib Mahmood and Brydon Carse, who are also working back from injury, and five members of the Test squad who are not involved in the T20 World Cup – Jimmy Anderson, Jamie Overton, Ollie Robinson, Jack Leach and Will Jacks.

The Leicestershire 18-year-old leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed has been called up as part of the 15-man squad that will travel to the UAE on 6 November, before taking on the senior England side in a three-day match that serves as a warm-up for the Test series in Pakistan.

Ahmed has already been touted for international honours and ended the county season with a maiden five-for and a maiden century against Derbyshire. He netted with England’s limited-overs side at Old Trafford this summer, where he had a training session with Adil Rashid.

Haseeb Hameed, Dan Lawrence, Matthew Potts and Matthew Fisher, all of whom have played Test cricket in 2022, are in the Lions squad. Potts was considered unlucky not to make the full Test squad after a highly impressive start to his England career – taking 20 wickets in five appearances – and has a chance to prove that decision was wrong when the two teams face off between 23-25 November.

Fisher, who made his Test debut in Barbados in March, also has plenty to play for after missing most of the season for Yorkshire with a stress fracture.

Quick Guide England Lions training group Show Tom Abell (Somerset), Rehan Ahmed (Leicestershire), Josh Bohannon (Lancashire), Jack Carson (Sussex), Sam Conners (Derbyshire), Sam Cook (Essex), Matthew Fisher (Yorkshire), Haseeb Hameed (Nottinghamshire), Tom Haines (Sussex), Jack Haynes (Worcestershire), Lyndon James (Nottinghamshire), Dan Lawrence (Essex), Liam Patterson-White (Nottinghamshire), Matthew Potts (Durham), Jamie Smith (Surrey)

Pace bowler rehab

Jofra Archer (Sussex), Saqib Mahmood (Lancashire), Brydon Carse (Durham, 11-27 November). Test player preparation

James Anderson (Lancashire, 6-19 November), Jamie Overton (Surrey, 6-19 November), Ollie Robinson (Sussex, 11-19 November), Jack Leach (Somerset, 11-19 November), Will Jacks (Surrey, 11-19 November). Was this helpful? Thank you for your feedback.

Hameed and Lawrence take their places among the batters, the former having been cut loose after a chastening Ashes last winter and the latter not seen since Brendon McCullum and Stokes took charge of the red-ball team.

The Somerset captain, Tom Abell, and Lancashire batter Josh Bohannon are two of the more established domestic performers in the uncapped Lions list, while the Essex paceman Sam Cook is rewarded for his consistent quality across the formats.

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Jack Carson and Liam Patterson-White are included as spinners, which looks to be bad news for Dom Bess and Matt Parkinson, whose stock appears to have fallen. Sam Conners, Tom Haines, Jack Haynes, Lyndon James and Jamie Smith complete the group.

The ECB performance director, Mo Bobat, said: “It’s great to be able to recommence Lions developmental experiences and the camp in Dubai and Abu Dhabi represents a fantastic opportunity for a high potential group of players.

“Selection for the camp was conducted in close collaboration with both players and counties, and there are a number of players that have been encouraged and supported to take up other opportunities at home and overseas. The camp also supports the England Men’s team in their preparation for Pakistan, allowing England and Lions players to work closely together in overseas conditions.”

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