Former England captain Michael Vaughan has expressed caution regarding Jofra Archer’s potential return to the Test arena for the second Test against India at Edgbaston, starting 2 July. Archer recently made his red-ball comeback in the ongoing County Championship after a four-year gap, having battled serious elbow and back injuries since his last Test appearance in 2021.
While England selector Luke Wright has indicated that Archer could be considered for the second Test if he performs well for Sussex, Vaughan believes a more careful approach is necessary.
“One game for Sussex against Durham, would you rush him back?” – Vaughan on Archer
Speaking on BBC Test Match Special, Vaughan raised doubts over fast-tracking Archer’s return. “The good thing is that Jofra is back in the equation – but I’d like to see him play another four-day game. He’s not played the longer format for four years so why, on the back of one game for Sussex against Durham, would you rush him back?” Vaughan questioned.
He further emphasised the contrast between county and Test-level intensity and urged the management to continue with the current bowling combination for the next match.
“We know the intensity at Test-match level is so different to county cricket. Let him play another four-day game – I would go with the same line-up, as long as the bowlers are fine and there are no niggles,” he added.
Sussex head coach Paul Farbrace also echoed Vaughan’s sentiment, urging England to proceed with caution regarding Archer’s workload. Speaking to BBC 5 Sports Extra, Farbrace said: “He bowled with good pace, good accuracy and his body’s in good shape which is fantastic. We would all love to see Jofra playing for England because he makes England a much better team, and he would give them a much better chance of winning the big series. But let’s look after him, let’s be careful with him. The conversation we’d had [with England] was that he would play in this game, and then we’d reassess.”
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