Archer takes two wickets on return from injury

|| AFP ||

England fast bowler Jofra Archer took two wickets in his first competitive match for almost two months in a County Championship game for Sussex against Kent on Thursday.

The 26-year-old has been recovering from a long-standing elbow injury and also had surgery on his right hand to remove a piece of glass from a cut he suffered while cleaning a fish tank.

Archer will be hoping to be fully fit for England's two Test matches against New Zealand next month.

"My fitness is fine," said Archer, who played for the Sussex 2nd XI last week.

"I thought I bowled okay. I played in the second team last week and it's good to get some confidence and I felt fine.

"I bowled in short spells for protection in case we had a long day but it was overcast, which helped a bit. There was a bit of management, but it all worked out."

He claimed the first two wickets to fall at Hove, dismissing England team-mate Zak Crawley and Kent skipper Daniel Bell-Drummond as the visitors were bowled out for 145.

Archer finished with figures of 2-29 from 13 overs.

England have a busy schedule for the remainder of the year, with the New Zealand games followed by a five-Test series against India, ahead of the T20 World Cup in India and the Ashes in Australia.