Jofra Archer has been receiving covert text messages from England captain Ben Stokes, who has exposed Archer's desire to return to Test cricket. Before England's rubber match against Zimbabwe, Stokes claimed he received a one-word message that read, "Zim?" The all-rounder had to instruct him to "hold it right there."
Due to a string of severe injuries, Archer has not participated in First-Class cricket since 2021. Due to his recovery from an IPL thumb injury, he was not selected for the opening Test match against India at Headingley, which starts on Friday.
Luke Wright, England selector, had previously stated that he could return for the second Test, which would take place at Edgbaston from July 2–6.
“He’s been absolutely desperate to put the white shirt back on. Randomly, a couple of times, he would just send me a text saying, ‘Zim? I was like, ‘Let’s just hold it there, all right. 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.
It’s really exciting for England, but also more exciting for Jof 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," Stokes said in the pre-first-Test press conference on Thursday.
For Stokes, who is most likely playing his final edition, this may be a pivotal World Test Championship final after he missed the previous two by a significant margin.
With an Ashes visit of Australia and a home series against India in a matter of months, it's also a huge one. The captain, however, rejects the idea that it might define his career.
“There’s always a different buzz coming up against India and Australia in particular, purely because of how big those series are," he said. Away from the dressing room, we know what these series mean compared to other ones. We do understand that. But defining a career as England captain isn’t something that I sit there and really think about, honestly. If that’s what I’m really bothered about, in my opinion it’s just completely and utterly selfish and that ain’t me," he added.
