After more than four years, the wait is finally over for 30-year-old English pacer Jofra Archer.
Archer is on the verge of making his long-awaited return to Test cricket. England have included the 30-year-old fast bowler in their playing XI for the third Test against India at Lord’s.
The third match of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy will begin Thursday at the iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground. England named their squad a day before the game.
Fittingly, Archer’s Test debut also came at Lord’s, during the 2019 Ashes series. His comeback to red-ball cricket now comes in a scenario strikingly similar to his debut.
Back in 2019, England were struggling to dismiss an in-form batter. Steve Smith had scored twin centuries at Edgbaston to lead Australia to victory, and it was Archer’s fiery debut spell at Lord’s that famously struck Smith on the helmet. This time, the challenge is Shubman Gill—who punished England with a 430-run knock at Edgbaston. It’s Archer who’s been tasked with stopping him.
England have made just one change to their XI from the second Test, which they lost by 336 runs. Archer replaces Josh Tongue in the lineup.
So far, Archer has taken 42 wickets in 13 Tests. His last appearance in the format came in February 2021 against India in Ahmedabad.
Since then, a series of back and elbow injuries kept him sidelined for an extended period. While he did play some white-ball matches for England during his recovery, he missed 53 Tests. Now, after a staggering 1,595 days, he’s set to return to the game’s elite format.
Last month, Archer made his first-class comeback for Sussex in the County Championship, bowling 18 overs for 32 runs and claiming one wicket against Durham. That performance earned him a call-up to the Test squad. Though he didn’t play at Edgbaston, he hasn’t had to wait much longer.
With the five-match series tied at 1–1, the Lord’s Test promises high stakes.
England XI for the 3rd Test
Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (captain), Jamie Smith (wicketkeeper), Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer, Shoaib Bashir.
