Revealed- Why Jofra Archer wasn't picked for 2nd Test vs India; When will he return?

Jofra Archer’s much-awaited return in whites has been delayed once again as England named an unchanged XI for the second Test of the ongoing Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy against India at Edgbaston, starting on Wednesday, July 2.

The England fast bowler, who was included in the 15-man squad for the second Test against India, will now have to wait a little longer for his comeback, with hopes now resting on the third Test, starting on July 10 at the iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground.

Jofra Archer’s Test comeback delayed, eyes return at Lord’s

Jofra Archer last played a Test in February 2021 and had recently impressed in his red-ball return for Sussex. The pacer bowled 18 overs and took 1 for 32 in the County Championship match against Durham that was drawn by Sussex at Chester-le-Street.

SHORTS

View More

Your daily dose of cricket!

Loading...

It was Archer’s first red-ball game since May 2021 after years of recovery from stress fractures in his elbow and back.

However, the Barbados-born cricketer passed the fitness test by finishing the red-ball game without any fitness concerns, but he was not part of England’s training session on June 30 at Edgbaston due to a family emergency.

Family reason behind Jofra Archer's absence?

And the family reason might have been the reason behind the delay in Archer’s return to the test arena. However, Jofra is expected to rejoin the England cricket team on Tuesday, July 1.

With just a short three-day gap between the second and third Tests, there’s a strong possibility that Jofra Archer could make a Test comeback at Lord’s, where he made his Test debut for England back in 2019.

Notably, Archer and the other players who are not part of the playing XI for the second Test against India won’t be released to play in the ongoing County Championship round.

Apart from Jofra Archer, Sam Cook, Jamie Overton, and Jacob Bethell failed to find a place in England’s playing XI against India.

Read Also: India Government blocks Virat Kohli-Rohit Sharma from playing Cricket

Mark Wood urges India to play Jasprit Bumrah in 2nd Test

Meanwhile, England pacer Mark Wood has issued a strong warning to India ahead of the Edgbaston Test amid the buzz that Jasprit Bumrah is likely to be rested for the game.

Wood, who is ruled out of the ongoing five-match Test series at home, said that India can’t afford to fall 2-0 behind in the series.

Mark Wood said on the Sky Sports podcast, “They cannot afford to go 2-0 down. So, you want your best bowler. There's no way he's saying, 'I'm not playing at Lord's.' I don't think so. I think he'll want to play both games."

"Even if, let's just say, India wins the next one and it's 1-1, I still think they'll want him to make the difference, to get them ahead. I think every overseas bowler wants to get on that board, and he'll be the same.”

India has already made it clear that they won’t play Bumrah in all five Tests, as the premier pacer will feature in only three games, which means there are high chances of him being rested for the second Test against England at the Edgbaston Stadium.

Read Also: India Playing XI for 2nd Test vs England picked; 3 changes made