ENG vs IND: Will Jofra Archer play 2nd test at Edgbaston? ECB managing director reveals

Jofra Archer has been added to England squad for the second test against India.

England Cricket Team and India Cricket Team are gearing up for second test of the five-match test series, which will be played at Edgbaston, Birmingham from July 2. On Thursday, England announced their squad for the second test with the addition of Jofra Archer. The rest of the squad remains the same.

Surprisingly, Jofra Archer has made his return to the test team after four years. He last played a test match in February 2021 and was out of the field due to multiple injuries. Recently, he played for his domestic team Sussex in the County Championship 2025.

Jofra Archer’s return is a big boost for the England team, who are short of pacers like Mark Wood and Gus Atkinson due to injuries. However, there are still doubts if Archer will be drafted in England’s playing XI for the second test at Edgbaston as he returns to test cricket after a long gap.

ECB managing director reveals if Jofra Archer will play in the second test

During a chat with Sky Sports, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) managing director Rob Key was asked if Archer will be part of the Edgbaston test. He replied that Archer is highly likely to play one of the upcoming two tests against India.

“I would imagine [that he will play at least one of the next two Tests]. As I stand here now, that’s where it’s heading, but who knows? He could bowl the first ball of the [Edgbaston] Test. All options are available,” he said.

He also added that if Archer is not picked in the Edgbaston test, he will return to the County Championship to play for Sussex.

“Yeah, so if he’s not, there’s a chance he can go back and play the last couple of games of the championship if we feel that’s the best thing for him. It might be the case even if he doesn’t play at Edgbaston that having him in and around is the best thing. But then he could walk out there and bowl the first ball of the test match. Who knows? All options are available,” he added.

Notably, some cricket experts have advised not to play Archer in the second test at Edgbaston to avoid any recurrence of his injury. Archer recently recovered from a thumb injury, which he sustained during Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. The right-arm pacer has played 13 tests so far, picking 42 wickets at an average of 31.05.

Meanwhile, the Ben Stokes & Co. lead the five-match test series 1-0 after winning the first match at Headingley, Leeds by five wickets. They chased down a huge target of 371 runs in the encounter.

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