London, June 22: Injury-prone pacer Jofra Archer could be in the England mix for the second Test against India beginning July 2 as he is set for a red-ball comeback with Sussex at Durham in the County Championship, according to a report.
The England pace bowling attack without the likes of Archer and Mark Wood has looked tepid in the opening Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar series 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 squad for 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,” said a report in Sky Sports.
It said the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has confirmed that the pacer will be in Sussex’s travelling group for the four-day fixture beginning later on Sunday.
Archer, who played for Rajasthan Royals in the 2025 IPL season, has not been a part of first-class cricket in four years due to injuries.
The 30-year-old quick was initially not in the 12-player travelling squad for the County Championship match, raising doubts about his fitness but the ECB and Sussex later said the Barbadian-English cricketer will be travelling for the match at Chester-le-Street.
If Archer is part of the playing XI and his body holds up in the red-ball fixture, he could be in contention for the second Test at Edgbaston from July 2 or the third at Lord’s from July 10.
Archer has only played white-ball cricket for England since 2021 because of recurring elbow and back injuries.
He was initially due to make a red-ball comeback for England Lions against India A but a thumb injury, suffered during the IPL, did not heal in time.
England skipper Ben Stokes had said earlier this month that Archer, who has 42 wickets in 13 Tests, was keen 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 said.
“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.” (PTI)
