With the announcement of the first Test of a five-match series against India beginning on June 20, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) decided on a squad on Thursday, June 5. Ben Stokes will be the captain of a 14-member squad. Jamie Overton makes a return to the squad after three years, while Gus Atkinson misses out on the selection.
The other big name in the footsteps of absenteeism was Jofra Archer. He was supposed to put his red-ball boots on for the first time in many a moon after representing the England Lions but injured his thumb during the IPL 2025 while playing for Rajasthan Royals. The injury stopped him from playing the second unofficial Test against India-A that would have marked the grand return to Test cricket.
Recent developments have fueled much optimism with England’s chief selector giving some good news about Archer, saying that the Sussex player is expected to be fit later this month and might be available for the second Test at Edgbaston on July 2. He said, “Jof’s doing really well. The plan is for him to play a few second-team games for Sussex and hopefully feature against Durham during the first Test. If all goes well, he should be ready for the second Test.
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The last time Archer played a Test match for England was four years ago; his last appearance in red-ball cricket was against India on February 21, 2021.
