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Former England captain Michael Vaughan has criticised England Cricket Board (ECB) as their tearaway pacer Jofra Archer is set to miss the first Test against New Zealand at The Lord’s due to workload management. Archer is currently playing for Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026. Despite the loss to Delhi Capitals (DC) on May 17, they are alive in the playoffs race. As the IPL 2026 final is scheduled for May 31, Archer isn’t expected to be back in whites until the second Test which commences on June 17 at London's Kennington Oval. Vaughan voiced his frustration on ECB allowing Test players to be available for full duration of IPL.
“I’m sure he’ll be in the squad (for the second Test). It comes midway through June. I think we have a problem in English cricket at the moment because Jofra was obviously staying for the full IPL. There’s some contract that the ECB have done with the BCCI that’s allowing all our players to stay for the duration,” Vaughan said on Cricbuzz.
Vaughan wants England central contract to hold greater value than any franchise league.
“If that’s the case, I have a problem with England’s contracts because Jofra has been looked after by them for a few years now on a very handsome contract. So who holds the key to that? I believe the international contract outweighs any franchise,” said Vaughan.
“England have got to make a decision because many have spoken out about it in the last week, rightfully so, because we feel that if you’re playing for England in your Test match, players should be back home playing for England. That’s what your central contract says you should be doing,” he added.
Vaughan’s suggestion to ECB
Vaughan also made a suggestion if ECB wants their players to fulfil their IPL commitments. He expects the ECB to schedule the Test series so that all their players are available for selection.
“If there is an agreement that the ECB have done with the BCCI, well, I think you’ve got to start your Test summer somewhere a little bit later then,” he stated.
Vaughan shares McCullum’s perspective
Vaughan said that had he been at helm of things in England team management, he would want the best players to be there on the field.
“If I was Rob Key, the director of cricket, or Brendon McCullum, the coach, I would want my best bowler playing in that first Test against New Zealand at Lord’s. Not here,” the 51-year-old said.
Archer bowling at full steam since recovering from side strain
Last year, Archer was ruled out of final two Tests of the Ashes 2025-26 due to a side strain. After rehabilitation, he was named in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026. Shortly after the T20 World Cup 2026, Archer turned up for RR. He hasn't missed a single game in the ongoing edition. He is RR's purple cap contender with 17 wickets from 12 games at an average of 23.52.
Meanwhile, a new-look Ben Stokes-led England after the Ashes debacle is set to focus on reviving their current World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27 campaign. After 10 Tests, they are currently placed seventh with a win percentage of 31.67.
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