'If you are going into battle, Stokes is the person you want right next to you': Jofra Archer on Ben Stokes
England speedster Jofra Archer has said that Ben Stokes will be missed in the remaining matches of the England-Pakistan Test series.
The 25-year-old pacer was full of praise for Ben Stokes and said that if you were going into battle, Stokes was the person you would want right next to you. Speaking to Daily Mail, the Barbados-born English cricketer said:
"If you are going into battle, Stokes is the person you want right next to you. He would never run away from a challenge, but family is so important and he has to be in New Zealand right now. We all understand that, support him and hope things settle quickly and he can come back when he is ready." said Jofra Archer
Jofra Archer explained that Ben Stokes' absence will be missed not only on the ground but in the changing room too.
"We now have to complete the job without Ben Stokes. He is someone we would miss even if he was unable to bowl or hit a ball. He has such an impact in the changing room beyond what he does in the middle." added Jofra Archer.
Jofra Archer remembered the episode when he had broken the bio-secure COVID-19 protocol during the West Indies series and made to sit in isolation in the team hotel for five days. Archer revealed that Ben Stokes used to come to his room every night after play.
"When I was in quarantine in Manchester, he would come past my hotel room each night after play - as did Joe Root - knock on the door and check on me. He cares about those around him," said the Sussex cricketer.
We owe it to him: Jofra Archer
Ben Stokes had to leave the series midway and fly to New Zealand due to some family emergency. Jofra Archer sounded confident that England will be fine in his absence as other players will step up.
"We owe it to him to cover for his loss. Of course, any team in the world would find it hard to replace a player of his magnitude and yet I feel we will be fine because someone will step up, as Jos and Woakesy did over the weekend," said Jofra Archer.
England added Ollie Robinson, the uncapped Sussex seamer, to the squad as a replacement, however, all-rounder Sam Curran is expected to replace Ben Stokes. The second and third Tests of the three-match #raisethebat series will be played at the Ageas Bowl from August 13 and 21, respectively.