Graham Thorpe says Jofra Archer ‘looks good’ ahead of the fourth and final Test against South Africa and has talked up the chances of the fast bowler returning for England in Johannesburg.
Archer, who has taken 30 wickets from his seven Test appearances, missed England’s emphatic victories in Cape Town and Port Elizabeth with a minor elbow injury.
He impressed in training on Wednesday, however, and England are keen to bring him back into the side with the Wanderers known for its fast and bouncy pitches.
‘Jofra bowled well today,’ England assistant coach Thorpe said. ‘He bowled six or seven overs and his speeds looked good.
‘There’s less pain in the elbow which he’s been experiencing over the last few weeks.
‘It will be great to have him fully fit. On today’s evidence, he looks pretty fit to me. He just needs to back it up again tomorrow and see how the body is.
‘It will be nice to have him and Mark Wood fit for selection.’
One of the players who Archer could replace in Johannesburg is off-spinner Dom Bess, who claimed his maiden Test five-wicket haul last week.
But Thorpe said: ‘You might hear the five seamer option come out again but Dom has done himself absolutely no harm the way he bowled.
‘It’s great to see a spinner come into our team and bowl as well as he did.’
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