Former England fast bowler Stuart Broad backs Ben Stokes decision to skip Twenty20 World Cup

Stuart Broad supports Ben Stokes' T20 World Cup pullout, expresses concern over Jofra Archer's recurring injuries.

Former England pacer Stuart Broad has backed talismanic all-rounder Ben Stokes' decision to opt out of this year's T20 World Cup due to fitness reasons but expressed concerns about fast bowler Jofra Archer's never-ending injury woes.

Supporting Stokes' pullout from the upcoming T20 World Cup in the Caribbean and the USA, Broad said the defending champions will miss his aura but have enough resources to replace him as a player.

"Whatever Ben decides to do for the well-being of himself is the right decision. Ben Stokes has made some incredible decisions in his career that have paid off for him," Broad, a member of the Star Sports Incredible Star Cast, told PTI in an exclusive interaction at their studio here.

"He wants to get back to (being) the all-rounder that he was and he feels like getting some workload through the knee in a controlled environment, without the help of a scale to pressurise the nature of a T20 World Cup, is the best choice," he said.

While Archer has found it difficult to cope with the elbow injury to his bowling arm, getting an England contract for two years is a sign that the management believes the ace pacer would be back to his best soon. Broad said he is hoping to see him back in the World Cup.

"Yeah, it's a concern. First of all, (he is) a friend of mine, a teammate of mine, an amazing talent for world cricket. He has got genuine pace, he moves the ball. He's a match winner," Broad said.

"We've not seen the best of Jofra Archer on the field now, for coming on, nearly four years. He's played bits and bobs, but he's had awful injury problems which is very difficult for him to cope with.