Jofra Archer and England must work together to manage workload - Dale Steyn

Dale Steyn believes Jofra Archer and the ECB will have to work together to manage his workload.

While acknowledging that Archer would endure the "odd injury here or there," Steyn said effective man management, based on good communication between both parties, was crucial in ensuring the England spearhead remained fit.

"The most important thing is that people want to see him on the park, you've got to keep him on the park and they've got to work out how to do that," Steyn said. "Everyone is different so they have got to work out something for him. He is fresh, he is new into the system so it's going to take the odd injury here or there to work it out but they'll get there."

Archer, who bowled more than any other England bowler in 2019 but only played one match on England's tour to South Africa, has been ruled out for at least three months with a stress fracture to his right elbow and Steyn is among many who want to see him back as soon as possible, despite joking that England should "bowl him into the ground so he doesn't play".

"It boils down to man management and having good conversations with him and seeing where he is at and what he wants to do," Steyn said. "He is still learning and bowling enough that he is getting his body strong," Steyn said.

Despite the significance of the injury, Steyn - who thought Archer was "phenomenal" when he first saw him bowling for Sussex under the guidance of South African-born then county coach Mark Davis - believes he has all the ingredients for a long career because of his style, particularly the effortless appearance of his run-up.

"Fast bowling is extremely difficult, it's not an easy thing to do and he makes it look so easy," Steyn said. "He almost like waddles in a little bit, he doesn't storm in and he bowls it extreme pace. And then he's got good skill, he is able to change it up a little bit.

"That's what fascinates me. If you watch Mitch Johnson or Starc, they really run in to generate a lot of pace. Archer makes it look so much easier. For a batter that's probably the most difficult thing in the world. You don't know what's going to come."

Asked how he managed to remain injury free for the first decade of his own career, before a spate of problems during the last three years, Steyn put it down to his on-field relationship with Graeme Smith.

"I had a great captain. He bowled me when he felt we needed a wicket and I was able to deliver," Steyn said. "When we got a wicket or if the spinner got a handy wicket, like Paul Harris would bowl his backside off and get a wicket and if he wanted one more over, Graeme would say, 'No, Dale's bowling,' so I was able to bowl to the new batters.

"I had a great captain and I had other guys that were around me that were really able to get the best out of me for a really lengthy period of time."

Joe Root, England's Test captain, has denied suggestions that Archer had been overbowled since making his international debut ahead of the 2019 World Cup but conceded England would need to look at using him more efficiently on his return.

Archer played four out of five Ashes Tests, bowling 44 overs on debut at Lord's, and then 42 in one innings at Mount Maunganui on England's New Zealand tour in November. Having taken the third five-wicket haul of his fledgling Test career in the series opener against South Africa, he missed the following two matches with elbow soreness and was ruled out of the fourth Test on match-day when he suffered pain during the warm-up.