Archer finally returns as England announce squad for South Africa ODIs

After having not played international cricket for close to two years, Jofra Archer is finally back in the England set-up. The right-arm paceman, who last played an international game in March 2021, has been picked in the 14-man squad for the three-match ODI series in South Africa (January 27 - February 1).

The 27-year-old has been out of action due to a combination of a long-term elbow injury and a stress fracture in his back. Archer recently featured in a practice game between England and England Lions prior to the tour of Pakistan and is now set to play his first ODI since September 2020.

Apart from Archer, Reece Topley is too back in the mix. The left-arm seamer injured his ankle ahead of the 2022 T20 World Cup and had to miss the entire tournament. Then there is Harry Brook, who seems to have taken international cricket by storm.

The young right-handed batter has already featured in 20 T20Is for England but made his Test debut in September 2022. In the three-match series against Pakistan, Brook smashed three centuries and one fifty to help England whitewash Babar Azam and his men. The 23-year-old has now received his first ODI call-up.

Ben Duckett was someone else who impressed during the Pakistan tour and is now back in the ODI set-up after six years. England, however, will be without Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow. The former will miss the series to focus on the two-Test series in New Zealand in February, while Bairstow is yet to recover from his freak leg injury.

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