In a major development, the 30-year-old superstar right-arm pacer Jofra Archer has made his comeback to the England Test team after a very long time.
Jofra Archer has been added to the England Test squad for the second match of the five-match series against the India National Cricket Team.
Jofra Archer in line for his first Test appearance in four years
England National Cricket Team won the Test series opener against India National Cricket Team in a comprehensive manner by 5 wickets to take a 1-0 lead.
Meanwhile, Archer has made it to the England Test squad for the first time since March 2021, and he has made his comeback to the side on the back of 18 overs and one wicket for Sussex in the County Championship.
Other than the selection of the 30-year-old right-arm quick, the England squad for the second Test at Edgbaston in Birmingham from July 2 remains the same.
“The England Men’s selection panel has added Sussex fast bowler Jofra Archer to the squad for the Rothesay second Test match against India at Edgbaston, starting on Wednesday, July 2 2025. The 30-year-old right-arm quick returns to the England Test set-up for the first time since February 2021 and will be looking to add to his 13 Test caps at Edgbaston next week,” the ECB said in an official media release.
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England Men’s Test Squad For 2nd Match Against India:
Ben Stokes (Durham) – Captain, Jofra Archer (Sussex), Shoaib Bashir (Somerset), Jacob Bethell (Warwickshire), Harry Brook (Yorkshire), Brydon Carse (Durham), Sam Cook (Essex), Zak Crawley (Kent), Ben Duckett (Nottinghamshire), Jamie Overton (Surrey), Ollie Pope (Surrey), Joe Root (Yorkshire), Jamie Smith (Surrey), Josh Tongue (Nottinghamshire), Chris Woakes (Warwickshire)
Although Archer has been picked in the squad, there is no guarantee that he will feature in the playing XI in the Edgbaston Test. The ultimate decision lies in the hands of Ben Stokes, Brendon McCullum, Rob Key, and Luke Wright.
Overall, Jofra Archer has played just 13 matches in his Test career since making his debut in 2019. He has picked up 42 wickets at an average of 31.04, and his last Test appearance came against India in Ahmedabad in February 2021. Since then, he has been out of the red-ball format due to his elbow and back issues.
I don’t understand the rush – Michael Vaughan
Recently, the former English skipper Michael Vaughan opposed the idea of bringing Archer into the Test squad. He said that the pacer should play one more County Championship round before being considered for selection.
“I wouldn’t be rushing Jofra Archer. He hasn’t played four-day cricket for four years. He’s played one game for Sussex at Durham. He bowled in one innings. They have another game starting on Sunday. I personally would just let him play one more County Championship round and then bring him in potentially for the Test match at the home of cricket (Lord’s),” Michael Vaughan said as quoted by Sky Sports.
“I don’t understand the rush. When you’ve had four years of not playing the longer format I just can’t see how one outing in County cricket can be justification.”