Jofra Archer will make a comeback into England’s Test team after a gap of four years at Lord’s on Thursday. England have announced their playing XI for the third Test match. Archer will replace Joshua Tongue in the XI.After playing one first-class match for Sussex, where he bowled 18 overs, Archer was included in England’s Test team.
Archer took 42 wickets at an average of 31.04 in the 13 Tests he played between 2019 and 2021, before persistent elbow and back injuries kept him out of action for 18 months.
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England captain Ben Stokes dismissed concerns around Archer’s form and fitness, saying the pacer is “100 percent ready” to make his long-awaited return to Test cricket.The injury-prone fast bowler was included in England’s playing XI for his first Test appearance since February 2021. As part of his preparation, Archer featured in a first-class match for Sussex, which helped him build up match fitness.“It’s this default of going to the worst. We are a very good nation at doing that. I see it as, Jofra has played a lot of cricket over the last two and a half years since he’s been back. He’s played white-ball cricket for England, and got through a first-class game for Sussex and felt really good,” Stokes said ahead of the Lord’s Test.“Got his loads up last week, and if we didn’t think he was in a position to get through a first-class game as a bowler, we wouldn’t have considered him for selection. If we did not think he was ready, or in a position to be selected, he would not be selected.”Stokes also defended Archer’s selection, highlighting that injury risks are part of professional sport.“Whenever you take the field, you are always putting yourself at risk. It’s a professional sport, it’s a very physical sport. We all know potentially stuff could go wrong, but we would not select someone if we didn’t think they could get through it,” he added.The England skipper praised Archer’s resilience and drive to return to Test cricket.“It’s great for English fans, but also for Jof. It’s been a long time coming for him. The way in which he’s handled the injury setbacks over a period have been very commendable.“The way he’s got himself back on the field playing cricket over a long period of time now, it’s exciting to have him back in the squad,” Stokes said.Gus Atkinson, who was added to the squad after the Edgbaston Test, didn’t make the cut.Mark Wood also trained with England at Lord’s on Wednesday morning as he targets a return from his knee injury for the fifth Test.England XI: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith (wk), Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer, Shoaib Bashir.
