Injury-prone pacer Jofra Archer could be in the England combine for the second Test against India starting July 2, as he’s set for a red-ball comeback with Sussex at Durham in the County Championship, in accordance with a report.
The England tempo bowling assault with out the likes of Archer and Mark Wood has seemed tepid in the opening Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar collection with India, led by new skipper Shubman Gill, scoring 471 runs in the first innings at Leeds.
“Jofra Archer will return to red-ball cricket with Sussex — despite not being named in the squad for the 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,” stated a report in Sky Sports.
It stated the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has confirmed that the pacer will likely be in Sussex’s travelling group for the four-day fixture starting afterward Sunday (June 22, 2025).
Archer, who performed for Rajasthan Royals in the 2025 IPL season, has not been part of first-class cricket in 4 years resulting from accidents.
The 30-year-old fast was initially not in the 12-player travelling squad for the County Championship match, elevating doubts about his health however the ECB and Sussex later stated the Barbadian-English cricketer will likely be travelling for the match at Chester-le-Street.
If Archer is a part of the taking part in XI and his physique holds up in the red-ball fixture, he could be in competition for the second Test at Edgbaston from July 2 or the third at Lord’s from July 10.
Archer has solely performed white-ball cricket for England since 2021 due to recurring elbow and again accidents.
He was initially resulting from make a red-ball comeback for the England Lions against India A however a thumb harm, suffered throughout the IPL, didn’t heal in time.
England skipper Ben Stokes had stated earlier this month that Archer, who has 42 wickets in 13 Tests, was eager to return to Test cricket.
“Randomly, a couple of times he would just send me a text… I was like, ‘Let’s just hold it there, alright. I know you’re in a good spot right now but let’s not just rush into it’.
“He’s obviously had a horrific time with injuries but he’s had some good amount of cricket, albeit in the white-ball formats,” Stokes had stated.
“It’s really exciting for England, but also more exciting for Jof (Archer) that he’s in a position now where we’re able to have a plan in place, and hopefully him get through something to actually be considered for selection for Test cricket.”
