"I had one a couple of months ago saying 'Zimbabwe?'" - Ben Stokes reveals text message from Jofra Archer over Test comeback
England captain Ben Stokes stated that Jofra Archer is more than eager to make a return to the Test team, with the one-off Test against Zimbabwe in May 2025 being considered a realistic target. The pace-bowling all-rounder last played a red-ball contest for the national team in February 2021, during the tour of India.
Since then Archer has battled a series of recurring injuries. While he tried to feature in red-ball matches for Sussex, his last first-class appearance came in May 2021. After recovery, the all-rounder has largely focused on white-ball cricket, playing in the 2024 T20 World Cup, and bilateral series since then.
He was even a last-minute addition to the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) auction list, bagging a INR 12.50 crore contract with his former franchise, the Rajasthan Royals (RR).
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has been patient with Archer, and still view him as a vital cog in the red-ball setup. Yet to play under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum in the Bazball setup, the management hopes Archer to play the crucial away Ashes series in 2025-26.
ECB's faith in the all-rounder was on show yet again as his central contract was extended until 2026.
"The excitement is understandable around Jofra. The best thing is he is back on the field playing. I am sure he might have thought he might not have the chance to put on an England shirt again and the injuries and surgeries he has gone through could have ended other people's careers so there is no rushing back for anything for Jofra," Stokes said ahead of the second Test against New Zealand in Wellington (via ESPN Cricinfo).
"He is being handled very well by the ECB and that will certainly continue. But Jof is a man of few words, even over WhatsApp. I had one a couple of months ago saying 'Zimbabwe?'. That shows he is very interested in playing Test cricket for England," the skipper added.
England will be hoping to make an impression in the next WTC cycle after failing to qualify for the finals three times in a row now. They have a hectic red-ball schedule in 2025, with a five-match Test series against India at home to kickstart the proceedings.
"He will have to build the body up to handle the extra pressure of a Test match" - Ben Stokes on Jofra Archer
The County Championship is a realistic avenue for Archer to find his rhythm in red-ball cricket. While the first-class tournament begins in April, the all-rounder will be occupied with the IPL 2025 season. With strict sanctions associated with pulling out of the tournament, Archer cannot turn up for Sussex before June, by which time the home series against India will have already begun.
"You can come back and play a one-day game and get two or three different spells. But in Test cricket you have to do that over a long period of time and then another day to back it up. There is no doubt he is going so well at the moment, it is a case of he will have to build the body up to handle the extra pressure of a Test match," Stokes opined.
Along with Jofra Archer, his fast-bowling compatriots Brydon Carse and Matthew Potts, have also signed an extension until 2026.