How five dogs kept Jofra Archer company during rehab

Jofra Archer admitted that while caring for five puppies during his recovery from an elbow injury, "he went a bit crazy." Nevertheless, the dogs helped him deal with loneliness and the hardships of long-term therapy following the career-threatening accident. 

As a member of England's 14-man team getting up for a three-match One-Day International series against South Africa, he revealed in Bloemfontein, "I went a bit mad maybe a month after I got back to Barbados, I got around five dogs in the space of four weeks."

If Jofra Archer plays a significant role in the Ashes this summer, England will be grateful to "five American pitbulls for helping Jofra Archer return to health after 18 months out of the game," according to the Guardian. After spending the majority of the previous year "shovelling heaps of poo and feeding lots of dogs," Archer will have the opportunity to play in England for the first time since March 2021 in this series.

The Guardian wrote, "When he wasn't walking his canine companions on the beach he was "shouting at the television" watching his England teammates win the T20 World Cup: "The most frustrating part was not being able to help," he said."

"I know whenever I'm fully fit, I don't think there's much that can stop me, it's just a matter of when that was going to be. Luckily everything happened a lot sooner – well, I wish it happened a lot sooner – but I'm not going to be upset or bitter about how the timing's been. I think everything happens for a reason and I guess there's a reason I'm here in South Africa right now," Archer said.

"There's no reason to look back, I've done my time and I'm here now. I had the best time being injured, I had stuff to keep me going, my friends, my family, the gym. I don't think I wasted any days. I'm happy."