“Overs are overs and you train and bowl until you feel good. Obviously I might have to do some extra bowling during the week in India [at the IPL], but that is absolutely fine because I want to play in the Ashes, so I’m going to have to do all the hard yards to tick those boxes.
“It is an exciting prospect to think about playing with the guys again, especially with the brand of cricket they are playing [under Ben Stokes] which is very exciting.
“But I think I need to spend the next two, three, four months fine tuning the body and making myself a bit more resilient. Let me sort that out first then I can look forward to holding the red ball in my hand again.
“It is the start for me and I’m very excited. This is our first ODI of the year so I’m very glad to be playing from the start and when we do get to India, hopefully I’ll be there, and everything will seem worth it.”
Archer says he did not “waste a day” while injured; having six dogs certainly helps. Archer has had Sheba, a French Mastiff, since he was 16. The more recent additions – Ace, Onyx, Ghost, Nova and Luna – are all American Bullies. It is little surprise that he reflects: “It’s their house, I just live there.”
“I went a bit crazy probably a month after I got back to Barbados, I got five dogs in the space of four weeks,” he says. “To be honest, just the routine kept me going – shovelling lots of poo and feeding lots of dogs!”
