England could get a massive boost ahead of the second Test against India as according to a report by Sky Sports, pacer Jofra Archer is set to make a return to red-ball cricket with County side Sussex and can make it to the squad for the Birmingham Test that is set to commence from July 2.
India have dominated against the England bowlers at Headingley
It will be a major relief for the hosts if this does end up happening as their bowling attack has struggled in the Headingley Test against India so far. The Men in Blue posted a mammoth first-inning total of 471 on the board following centuries from Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant.
"Jofra Archer will return to red-ball cricket with Sussex -- despite not being named in squad for County Championship match at Durham. If he comes through the match unscathed, he could be in the mix to play in the second Test against India at Edgbaston," the report stated.
It further said that the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has confirmed that Archer will be in the Sussex squad for the County Championship match against Durham from June 22, Sunday. The 30-year-old was initially not a part of the 12-member travelling squad, however the ECB later confirmed that he will indeed be travelling for the match.
If Archer does go on to be named in the playing XI for the match against Durham and manages to give a good performance with the ball, then he could be in contention to make a return to England's squad for the second Test at Edgbaston. Notably, the pacer last played red-ball cricket for the Three Lions back in 2021 when he participated in the match against India at Ahmedabad.
Meanwhile, Archer featured for the Rajasthan Royals n IPL 2025, but both him and the side ended up having quite a disappointing campaign. The Rajasthan-based franchise failed to make it to the playoffs after finishing ninth on the IPL standings with 8 points from 14 matches. Archer played a total of 12 matches during the season, picking up only 11 wickets and giving away runs at an expensive economy rate of 9.47.