After over four years of absence, pacer Jofra Archer was brought back into England's Test set-up ahead of the second match of the five-match series against India which is set to be played at Edgbaston from July 2. However, despite his inclusion in the squad, Archer was kept away from the playing XI by the team managament. The Three Lions decided to make no changes to the team that claimed victory in the first Test at Headingley.
Ahead of the second match, England captain Ben Stokes stated that it is important for Archer to spend some time with the group as a long time has passed since he last featured for the team in red-ball cricket. He also pointed out that the last time that the 30-year-old played a Test match for them, the team was neither under his captaincy nor being guided by head coach Brendon McCullum.
"I think it has been a long time since Joff has been in the Test environment. You know, he has been playing a lot of white-ball cricket for England over the last couple of years. So, to have him back with us here after, you know, such a long time is, you know, I think first and foremost great for him, great for the team and, yeah, I think it is very important for Joff to be around the group this week," Stokes said at the pre-match press-conference.
"It is been a long time for him, and the last time he was in the Test dressing room, obviously that was under a different regime. So, you know, I felt it was important, even if he did not get selected this week, that he spends time around the group because, you know, I think hopefully that we will see him play a part in this series going forward. So, you know, that time spent with Joff, you know, with the other individuals in this group is, you know, very important for the rest of the series, you know, not just the performances out on the field as well," he added.
Archer last played Test cricket in 2021
Notably, Archer last played a Test match for England back in 2021 against India in Ahmedabad. He has so far featured in just 13 Tests for the national team in his career and has picked up a total of 42 wickets including three five-wicket-hauls. On the other hand, the seamer has featured significantly more in the white-ball formats, playing 31 ODIs and 34 T20Is so far.
He recently also played his first Test match in more than four years when he featured for Sussex in their clash against Durham in the County Championship. Archer gave a decent performance, scoring 31 runs in the side's first innings and finishing his 18-over spell with figures of 1/32. The match would eventually end in a draw, but that would be enough for England's team management to call Archer to the squad for the ongoing Test series against India.
England's playing XI for 2nd Test against India: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith (wk), Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue, Shoaib Bashir.