England have drafted in injury-prone quick Jofra Archer in their squad for the second Test against India, starting July 2 in Edgbaston.
Archer, who last featured in the longest format back in 2021, recently made a comeback to competitive cricket after recuperating from a thumb injury. Archer’s last Test appearance also came against India in Ahmedabad four years back.
Having missed out on the white-ball series against West Indies owing to a thumb injury sustained while playing for Rajasthan Royals (RR) at the Indian Premier League (IPL) in early May, Archer had featured in a four-day match for Sussex against Durham, earlier this week. The 30-year-old showed glimpses of his best as he scored 31 with the bat and collected figures of 1/32 from 18 overs.
Archer had last played for England during the ICC Champions Trophy earlier this year. The pacer, who made an instant impression upon his arrival in the longest format of the game, boasts 42 wickets from 13 Tests.
His inclusion to the squad bolsters the Ben Stokes-led side that took a 1-0 lead in the five-Test series following an impressive run-chase on the final day in Headingley. Archer accompanies Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue and skipper Stokes in the England pace department.
It remains to be seen who, between Josh Tongue, who picked seven wickets in the first game, and Brydon Carse, with four scalps to his name, will drop out of the Playing XI to accommodate Archer. Sam Cook, Jamie Overton and Jacob Bethell retain their places in the squad.
England squad: Ben Stokes (c), Jofra Archer, Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Sam Cook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jamie Overton, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Josh Tongue, Chris Woakes.