Image: Rob Key believes that Jofra Archer's choice could impact his return to Test cricket / © CricTracker
Rob Key believes Jofra Archer’s IPL involvement will delay his Test comeback by two months. However, he understands Archer’s decision due to new IPL rules for the upcoming seasons. Players must register for the 2025 mega auction to be eligible for future mini auctions and Archer chose to participate in the mega auction. The ECB left the decision to him.
In an interview, Rob Key discussed Jofra Archer’s potential return to cricket and how his IPL participation will delay his comeback in red-ball cricket. Key acknowledged that Archer’s involvement in the IPL would push back his expected return to Test cricket. He said:
Jofra (Archer) is always brilliant to deal with. We were like, “The best thing might be to miss the IPL this year and get yourself ready, and we’ll start building your loads up… if you can get through a bit of Championship cricket, and then you can start the Test summer.” He was happy with that.
The new IPL rules led the fast bowler to choose availability for the upcoming season. Key noted that it would have been hard to stop Archer from participating, especially since he had already begun bowling at full speed, making it difficult to keep him away from the IPL.