England paceman Archer to face Australia in opening ODI

LONDON : England fast bowler Jofra Archer will play his first one-day international for 18 months in Thursday's clash with Australia at Trent Bridge, stand-in captain Harry Brook said on Wednesday.

The 29-year-old Archer was eased back into the England fold this year at the T20 World Cup after recovering from long-standing elbow and back injuries.

Archer also played in the first T20 international against Australia earlier this month but is now deemed to be ready to contend with the longer format.

"He's obviously a world-beater, and it'll be nice to have him alongside me and going out there and taking them on," Brook told BBC Sport.

"He's our strongest seamer and he's got a lot of experience behind him in white-ball as well. I'm looking forward to working with him and seeing him operate again."

Injuries have plagued Archer down the years and he has only managed to play seven ODIs since helping England win the World Cup on home soil in 2019. His last test appearance came in early 2021 in India.

Yorkshire's right-handed batsman Brook is in captaining the side in the absence of England's white-ball captain Jos Buttler who is out of the five-match series with a calf injury.