Jofra Archer to stay away from England Team? Ben Stokes minces no words
Published - 02 Jul 2025, 03:33 PM | Updated - 02 Jul 2025, 05:21 PM
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Jofra Archer’s long-awaited Test comeback continues to be delayed despite his being named in England’s squad for the second Test against India at Edgbaston, starting on Wednesday, July 2. Fans were eager to see him back in action after more than four years, but Jofra Archer was left out of England’s playing XI for the second Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy Test at Edgbaston.
And surprisingly, Archer was not even turning out for Sussex in their ongoing County Championship 2025 game against Warwickshire. Recently, the fast bowler made headlines after playing his first first-class match since 2021 for Sussex against Durham. He scalped one wicket in 18 overs and played a handy knock of 31 runs without any physical strain.
Jofra Archer’s absence from the Sussex squad raises eyebrows
That led many to believe that performance was enough to make Jofra into the playing XI for the Edgbaston Test. But Archer has been kept on the sidelines again instead of staying with the England squad. This move raised questions, as Archer was not even available for Sussex either.
Now, England captain Ben Stokes has revealed the reason why the pacer is not playing in the County Championship 2025 clash as well. The star all-rounder said that they just wanted to keep Archer with the England squad, reintegrating him into the team environment after such a long layoff.
When Archer was with the squad four years ago, it was a very different era, so Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum want him to keep the bowler close to the group to rebuild his comfort and confidence before pushing him into Test cricket again.
It was important to have him around the group: Ben Stokes on Jofra Archer's absence in the County Championship clash
Stokes said that Archer can train, support his teammates, and ease back into the rhythm of Test cricket by staying with the team. He also insisted that Archer isn’t playing right now; it doesn’t mean he is out of the picture and possibly playing a bigger role later in the ongoing Test series.
Ben Stokes told BBC Sport, “When someone's been out of the environment for so long, and the last time they were in that environment, it was completely different. For me personally, and Baz as well, we felt actually, if he didn't play, it was important to have Joff around the group and the environment for him to get back into it again because having him back in the squad is great.
But obviously we want him, hopefully, to be able to play a part in the series and also going forward in this group. So, there were benefits to both situations, but obviously, how I and Baz think about the time that we spend together as a group is very, very important as well.”
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Ben Stokes says England doesn't want to risk Jofra Archer
Stokes explained that having Jofra Archer around the squad will help him get used to the team’s current vibe and build confidence. Since Archer has had several injuries, they don’t want to take risks by making him play too much too soon.
The captain signed off by saying, “He has been playing for a long time. He has bowled a lot of overs. He got through last week okay, but you can't really control how a first-class game can go. He got 18 overs in a week. Here, he can come here and bowl. He can help out the lads. He can get used to the environment again. And then when the opportunity does come, he's comfortable in it. It doesn't feel like it's just been short and sharp.”
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Ben Stokes explains the decision to bring Jofra Archer into the England squad - and not have him playing for Sussex. pic.twitter.com/qIZ1BsOBcx
— Test Match Special (@bbctms) July 1, 2025
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