Jofra Archer missed England’s training session due to a family emergency, but the team has confirmed they will go with an unchanged playing XI from the first Test for the upcoming second Test at Edgbaston. Archer is expected to rejoin the squad on Tuesday.
The pacer was added to the squad after England’s thrilling five-wicket victory over India at Headingley, which featured a brilliant batting performance on the final day. However, despite his return to the setup, England have opted to stick with the winning combination.
Archer last featured in a red-ball game for England back in 2021 and has not played a Test match since then. He recently returned to red-ball cricket for Sussex, where he played against Durham in a County Championship match at Chester-le-Street — his first such appearance in four years.
His England teammate Chris Woakes expressed excitement over Archer’s return to the fold, praising the fast bowler’s resilience and influence on the team.
“Brilliant for Jof, brilliant for us as a team. It is a big boost to have him back. When Jof is around he adds a lot to the group, not only as a player but as a person and as a character. He’s obviously had a tough journey over the last few years with his injuries and it’s credit to him the hard work he’s put in to be back in this position to be able to hopefully play Test cricket again,” Woakes said during a press conference.
England currently lead the five-match Test series 1–0, with four matches still to be played.
England Playing XI: Zak Crawley Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (C), Jamie Smith (WK), Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue, Shoaib Bashir
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