England coach Matthew Mott willing to give Stokes, Archer time to recover for T20 World Cup
Dec 21, 2023
Tarouba [Trinidad and Tobago], December 21 : England coach Matthew Mott confirmed that star all-rounder Ben Stokes and pacer Jofra Archer will get the opportunity to regain their fitness for featuring in the 2024 T20 World Cup.
Stokes is eager to get past his chronic knee injury and he went for surgery on his knee following the conclusion of the ODI World Cup.
28-year-old Archer has had a fair share of injuries throughout his career and as of now, he is battling his long-term shoulder problem.
Mott talked about the importance of both players in the England set-up and expressed his willingness to leave the two spots open for them as they gear up to defend their T20 crown.
"I think that's a given. Ben, aside from his incredible match-winning ability in every department, gives us that ability to have a seam bowler in your top six that gives you so many options with your team balance...It makes selection a hell of a lot easier. So that's a given," Mott said as quoted from ICC.
"In terms of Jofra, you've just got absolute box-office pace, change of pace, bowl any over in the innings. Bowl your Super Over, bowl your last over when they need to. Him on the park is massive, everyone would agree with that," Mott added.
While England still have ample time to fine-tune their squad for the World Cup, their current focus is to secure the five-match T20I series against West Indies which currently is level at 2-2.
After losing two opening games, the Three Lions bounced back to cut the deficit and level the series following their 75-run victory in the 4th T20I. The highlight of the game was the breathtaking opening stand between Phil Salt and skipper Jos Buttler.
"It's looking pretty good, isn't it?" Mott said about the Salt-Buttler pairing at the top of England's batting order.
"We've got a lot of time between now and then. Obviously, Salty has put an undeniable case there and Jos is one of the greatest of all time. So how we get that top six or seven going will be an interesting thing," Mott added.
England and West Indies will square off in the final T20I on Friday at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy.
