England's Archer may not be ready for second Test

· BBC Sport
Jofra Archer missed the final two Tests of the Ashes tour with a side injuryGetty Images

By
Stephan Shemilt
Cricket Correspondent at Lord's
Published

Jofra Archer may not be ready to play for England in the second Test against New Zealand after missing the first following his stint at the Indian Premier League.

The pace bowler was part of the Rajasthan Royals team beaten by Gujarat Titans in the IPL qualifier on Friday and is not with England for the first Test against the Black Caps at Lord's, beginning on Thursday.

When England named their squad for the first Test, they said Archer was "unavailable" after "a long six months on the road".

The 31-year-old is now in Barbados, the country of his birth, and will not return to England until after the first Test. The second Test at Lord's begins on 17 June.

"Jofra we need to assess," England head coach Brendon McCullum told BBC Sport. "He's having a little bit of a break at the moment.

"We've seen in the past we can leave Jof to his own devices, work on his game and follow a plan that has been set. He turns up having that followed that plan to a tee.

"When we see him we'll work out where he sits and if he's available for the second Test. If not, we'll look at the third Test."

Archer's absence is probably the most high-profile example of an England player missing a Test as a result of the IPL.

It strikes to the heart of the modern conflict between the money offered to the best players on the franchise circuit and the demands of Test cricket.

Multi-format England players will be affected on annual basis, with the end of the IPL often coming just before England's first Test of a home summer.

Whilst Archer was with Rajasthan until the end of their campaign, batter Jacob Bethell left eventual champions Royal Challengers Bangalore in order to rest a finger injury. Bethell is available to play for England at Lord's this week.

Archer's absence means England are without their premier fast bowler as they begin a rebuild following the dismal Ashes campaign. The series against New Zealand takes on added significance as a result of the 4-1 drubbing in Australia.

The Sussex man only returned to Test cricket after a four-year injury absence on this ground against India in July 2025. Archer was England's best bowler in the Ashes until he suffered a side strain and had to miss the final two Tests.

He signed for Rajasthan for the 2025 IPL season on a deal worth about £1.18m. Recent changes to IPL rules mean any players who withdraw from the competition for anything other than medical reasons can be banned from the competition for two years.

Along with Archer, England are also missing fellow pace bowler Brydon Carse after he suffered a broken wrist at the IPL.

Carse was part of England's pre-series training camp at Loughborough, but is not expected to feature in the New Zealand series.

The home side have trimmed their initial 15-man squad down to 12 for the first Test.

Spinner Shoaib Bashir will return as first-choice spinner after being overlooked for the Ashes. Uncapped Sonny Baker is also in the 12, along with Ollie Robinson, who has been recalled after a two-year absence.

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