Tag: Jofra Archer

England has announced an unchanged playing XI for the second Test against India, which is set to commence on Wednesday at Edgbaston.

The three lions have named a similar playing XI to that from the first Test, in which they secured a five-wicket victory to take 1-0  lead in the five-match Test series.

England defeated India in the opening match of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy despite the visitors piling up a significant score of 471 in the first innings. The second Test is set to take place at Edgbaston, where India have not won a single game in their previous eight attempts.

Among the notable exclusions from the Playing XI was Jofra Archer, who was added to the squad for the first time since the 2021 tour of India due to a string of injuries.

According to the report, Jofra Archer, who missed the team’s training session, was not included in England’s playing XI because of a family emergency. Meanwhile, he will rejoin the team in Birmingham on Tuesday.

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The Barbados-born pacer has been carefully brought back to the England side. The 30-year-old first represented England in white-ball cricket, followed by a four-day encounter in the County Championship for Sussex last week.

It’s worth mentioning that after the second Test, the two teams will travel to London for the third match of the series, which is scheduled at the iconic Lord’s from 10 to 14 July.

Following that, the fourth Test will commence at Old Trafford on 23 July. The series will conclude with the fifth Test at The Oval, scheduled from 31 July to 4 August.

England Playing XI for the second Test

Ben Stokes (c), Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook (vc), Jamie Smith (wk), Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue, Shoaib Bashir

READ: Gautam Gambhir faces growing pressure ahead of second England Test

Fast bowler Jofra Archer has been named in the England squad for the upcoming second Test of the five-match series against India, scheduled to be played at Edgbaston from 2 July.

This decision comes after England’s five-wicket victory against India in the first Test at Headingley earlier this week.

Archer, who has been out of the Test team since the 2021 tour of India, recently made his return to red-ball cricket, playing for Sussex against Durham in the last round of the County Championship.

After the 2021 tour of India, he faced an elbow issue and later suffered a stress fracture in his back, resulting in him playing only seven limited-overs internationals between March 2021 and May 2024.

“It felt all right today,” Archer said after his return to red-ball cricket. “I’ve been playing for a year, and bowling for two years, including the build-up, so everything is fine.”

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“Now it’s a different challenge, because I know my body can hold up to it. The mental part of the game [will be tough].

“Over the next couple of days, I’m going to have to battle a bit with it, but it’s all good. It’s a new challenge, and I’ll keep trucking along.”

It’s worth mentioning that after the second Test, the two teams will travel to London for the third match of the series, which is scheduled at the iconic Lord’s from 10 to 14 July.

Following that, the fourth Test will commence at Old Trafford on 23 July. The series will conclude with the fifth Test at The Oval, scheduled from 31 July to 4 August.

England squad for the second Test against India

Ben Stokes (capt), Jofra Archer, Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Sam Cook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jamie Overton, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Josh Tongue, Chris Woakes

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LONDON: The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on Wednesday confirmed that star pacer Jofra Archer has been ruled out of the ODI series against the West Indies due to a right thumb injury.

The upcoming series will be the first under the newly appointed white-ball captain Harry Brooks, featuring three ODIs and as many T20Is.

According to the details,  Jofra Archer will be reassessed by the England medical team over the next fortnight to determine when he may return to action.

It’s important to note that Archer was excluded from the T20I series against the West Indies because he has been chosen to play for the England Lions against India A in Northampton, starting June 6.

He has not participated in a first-class match in four years and last played in one of his 13 Test matches in India in February 2021.

ECB has been gradually reintroducing him to international competition through white-ball cricket after a challenging spell of injuries.

However, they are eager for him to be part of the pace battery they plan to take to Australia this winter, aiming to win the Ashes overseas for the first time since 2010/11.

Unfortunately, his recent injury has made him doubtful for the England Lions’ red-ball match against India A.

Meanwhile, Lancashire’s Luke Wood has been added to England’s ODI squad for the three-match series, which begins on 29 May at Edgbaston.

England ODI Squad:

Harry Brook (Captain), Luke Wood,  Gus Atkinson, Tom Banton,  Jacob Bethell, Jos Buttler, Brydon Carse, Ben Duckett, Tom Hartley, Will Jacks,  Saqib Mahmood, Jamie Overton, Matthew Potts, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jamie Smith

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England T20I Squad:

Harry Brook (Captain), Rehan Ahmed, Tom Banton, Jacob Bethell, Jos Buttler, Brydon Carse, Liam Dawson, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Saqib Mahmood, Jamie Overton, Matthew Potts, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Luke Wood

England vs West Indies Series Schedule

1st ODI – Thursday 29 May 2025, Edgbaston, Birmingham
2nd ODI – Sunday 1 June 2025, Sophia Gardens, Cardiff
3rd ODI – Tuesday 3 June 2025, Kia Oval, London

1st T20I – Friday 6th June 2025, Banks Home Riverside, Durham
2nd T20I – Sunday 8th June 2025, Seat Unique Stadium, Bristol
3rd T20I – Tuesday 10th June, Utilita Bowl, Southampton

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Former Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh has landed in controversy after allegedly making a racially insensitive remark about England pacer Jofra Archer during an IPL 2025 match.

The incident occurred on March 23 during a match between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals, where Harbhajan, commentating on Star Sports’ Hindi broadcast, made an analogy that did not sit well with fans.

While discussing Archer’s pace, Harbhajan Singh reportedly said: “London me kaali taxi ka meter tez bhaagta hai, aur yaha pe Archer sahab ka meter bhi tez bhaaga hai.”

(“In London, the meter of a black taxi runs fast, and here, Mr. Archer’s meter has also run fast.”)

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The comment immediately sparked backlash on social media, with fans accusing Harbhajan of making a racially charged comparison.

Many have demanded an apology from the former cricketer, while others are urging the BCCI, Star Sports, and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to take action.

Some fans have even called for Harbhajan to be removed from the IPL commentary panel for the remainder of the season.

Notably, this is not the first time Harbhajan has been caught in controversy over racially insensitive remarks, but he has yet to comment on the current backlash.

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LAHORE: England speedster Jofra Archer etched his name into record books during the match against Afghanistan in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 here at the Gaddafi Stadium on Wednesday.

Archer shattered the record for the fastest 50 wickets in ODIs by an England cricketer, surpassing the legendary James Anderson.

The England fast bowler reached the feat in the fifth over of the match, dismissing the Afghanistan top order batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz.

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The 29-year-old fast bowler delivered an exceptional opening spell, taking back-to-back wickets in two overs during his 30th One Day International, helping to push back the Afghanistan team.in two overs in his 30th One Day International.

  Fastest England Bowlers to 50 ODI Wickets:

• Jofra Archer – 30 matches vs Afghanistan (2025)
• James Anderson – 31 matches vs West Indies (2004)
• Steve Harmison – 32 matches vs Australia (2005)
• Steven Finn – 33 matches vs New Zealand (2013)
• Darren Gough – 34 matches vs New Zealand (1997)

The leading wicket-taker for fast bowlers in Test matches, Anderson previously held the record, achieving this milestone in 31 matches against the West Indies in 2004.

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For the unversed, the record for the quickest bowler to take 50 scalps in an ODI belongs to former Sri Lankan spin wizard Ajantha Mendis, who achieved this feat in just 19 matches back in 2009.

READ: We can’t replace entire team with U19 players’: Aqib Javed backs Pakistan’s current squad

LEEDS: Pakistan’s white-ball captain and ace batter Babar Azam played down the hype of returning England pacer Jofra Archer for the four-match T20I series between last edition’s runners-up before the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024.

Babar, while speaking at the pre-series press conference, was asked to share his views on Jofra Archer’s return to the England side and whether the right-arm speedster would trouble Pakistan batters in the forthcoming series.

“We are looking forward. I think he’s coming back after one year, but I am not sure. As a team, we are very excited to play Archer because we played [well against him] in the past, stated Babar.

“If you look, we have bowlers with similar pace like Haris Rauf, Shaheen and Amir. We are facing them every day so, we are not [afraid], we are excited,” he added.

The Pakistan skipper also provided an update regarding Haris Rauf’s fitness and revealed that the right-arm speedster is completely fit.

“We’ve received clearance for Haris Rauf. He’s available for this series. So, by the will of Almighty Allah, he will surely be seen in action in the series.”

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Babar Azam further acknowledged England as one of the best teams in the world and termed the four-match series against reigning champions as a golden opportunity to fine-tune their preparations for the T20 World Cup 2024.

“[We are] very excited before the World Cup, we have a good series and it will help a lot.

For the unversed, the four-match T20I series between Pakistan and England will run from May 22 to 30 and will serve as a warm-up for both teams heading into the T20 World Cup 2024.

Pakistan squad:

Babar Azam (c), Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Rizwan, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Usman Khan.

England squad:

Jos Buttler (c), Phil Salt, Will Jacks, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Duckett, Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Sam Curran, Chris Jordan, Tom Hartley, Adil Rashid, Jofra Archer, Mark Wood and Reece Topley.

Pak vs Eng T20I series schedule:

1st T20I: Wed, May 22nd
2nd T20I: Sat, May 25th
3rd T20I: Tue, May 28th
4th T20I: Thu, May 30th

READ: Babar Azam settles opening pair debate for T20 World Cup

Defending champions England have announced a 15-member squad for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 on Tuesday, featuring fast bowler Jofra Archer.

The 20-team tournament is scheduled to be played in the West Indies and the United States of America (USA) from June 1 to 29.

“Jofra Archer has recovered from his right elbow injury and is named in the squad. Archer’s last appearance at this level came over a year ago in England’s tour of Bangladesh in March 2023,” England and Wales Cricket Board’s (ECB) press release stated.

The right-arm fast bowler was instrumental to England’s ICC World 2019 triumph, however, he has been struggling with injuries since then.

He has represented England in 15 T20Is, taking 18 wickets, before spending last year on the sidelines owing to the above-mentioned elbow injury.

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Meanwhile, all-rounder Chris Woakes was dropped in favour of fellow all-rounder Chris Jordan, who last represented England in September 2023 against New Zealand.

Uncapped left-arm spinner Tom Hartley, who claimed 22 wickets during his first Test series against India recently, also earned a call-up for the T20 World Cup.

Jos Buttler will lead the squad, who will play in the T20I series against Pakistan, which will kick off on May 22 before departing for the Caribbean.

Meanwhile, England will commence their T20 World Cup defence against Scotland in Barbados on June 4.

England T20 World Cup squad

Jos Buttler (c), Phil Salt, Will Jacks, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Duckett, Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali (vc), Sam Curran, Chris Jordan, Tom Hartley, Adil Rashid, Jofra Archer, Mark Wood, Reece Topley

READ: South Africa announce ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 squad

LONDON: England’s right-arm pacer Jofra Archer has been ruled out of the English summer season including The Ashes after the recurrence of his elbow injury, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced on Tuesday.

The right-arm quick, who was recently in action for Mumbai Indians in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL), has been ruled out of the entirety of the summer season which includes England’s four-day Test against Ireland and Ashes.

“Sussex fast bowler Jofra Archer has been ruled out for the rest of the summer after recent scans revealed he has sustained a recurrence of a stress fracture to his right elbow,” stated ECB in a statement.

“He will now spend time with the England and Sussex medical teams, who will work on his injury management,” the statement added.

England will kick off their busy summer season with a one-off four day Test against Ireland, scheduled to commence on June 1.

Aggressive wicket-keeper batter Jonathan Bairstow returned to the side since September 2022 as the ECB named a strong 15-member squad for Ireland Test.

He missed all of England’s winter programme, including the T20I megaevent in Australia, where his team became the World champions for the second time.

He returned to action only recently in the County Championship for Yorkshire and now looks ready to take the gloves during the Ashes, which begins on June 16.

Another positive for England is the inclusion of James Anderson, who suffered a minor injury while bowling on the opening day of Lancashire’s County clash against Somerset.

The ECB said that they would evaluate his fitness before the Ireland Test and his inclusion bodes well for the hosts.

Fast bowlers Mark Wood and Chris Woakes have also been recalled, with the latter coming back in the Test squad for the first time since March 2022 and if selected, it will be his first Test on home soil in the last two years.

With the home Ashes against Australia in sight, England will be looking forward to getting some game time before facing their arch-rivals.

SQUAD: Ben Stokes (c), James Anderson, Jonathan Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood.

BLOEMFONTEIN: England’s right-arm pacer Jofra Archer will make his international return since March 2021 in the first ODI of the three-match away series against South Africa on Friday (January 27).

According to the details, Archer, who was out of action since March 2021 due to prolonged injuries, has now been named in the Playing XI for the first ODI against South Africa.

England’s white-ball captain Jos Buttler confirmed Archer’s return and stated that he will get better and better as he comes back.

“It’s great to have Jofra back, fit and playing cricket again,” said England captain Jos Buttler. “I think I speak on behalf of everyone – he’s such an exciting guy to have back on the field.

“As an England captain, to have him in the team is brilliant. I’m sure he’ll get better and better as he comes back.

“There’s no expectation from my side on Jofra. He will come back and perform brilliantly because that is what he is able to do.

“He’s coming back after a long time. The intensity in international cricket is different and he has had some significant injuries. It would be naïve to think it wouldn’t take him a little bit of time to get up to 100%. It’s just fantastic to see him fit and back playing again.”

It is worth mentioning that the three-match series between England and South Africa will take place on January 27, 29 and February 1.

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LONDON: The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on Thursday unveiled a strong 14-member squad for the upcoming ODI series against South Africa, scheduled to roll into action on January 27 2023.

According to the ECB, England’s World Cup-winning pacer Archer is all set to make his international return for the first time since March 2021.

Middle-order batter Harry Brook, who had an impressive winter with the bat for England in Tests and T20Is, has been called up for the ODI squad for the first time while opening batter Ben Duckett has also received a call-up for the 50-over format for the first time since 2016.

Surrey seamer Reece Topley, on the other hand, who had been ruled out of the recently-held ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 is on a road to recovery and is anticipated to be ready for the three-match series against Proteas.

“Reece Topley is making [an] excellent recovery from his left ankle injury and is on track to be ready for the three-match series,” said ECB in a statement.

It is pertinent to mention that the three-match ODI series will commence on January 27 and will be played at two venues across six days.

England ODI Squad:

Jos Buttler (Lancashire) Captain, Moeen Ali (Warwickshire), Jofra Archer (Sussex), Harry Brook (Yorkshire), Sam Curran (Surrey), Ben Duckett (Nottinghamshire), Dawid Malan (Yorkshire), Adil Rashid (Yorkshire), Jason Roy (Surrey), Phil Salt (Lancashire), Olly Stone (Nottinghamshire), Reece Topley (Surrey), David Willey (Northamptonshire), Chris Woakes (Warwickshire)

England Men’s ODI Series versus South Africa Schedule:

First ODI: Friday, January 27, Mangaung Oval, Bloemfontein
Second ODI: Sunday, January 29, Mangaung Oval Bloemfontein
Third ODI: Wednesday, February 1, The Oval, Kimberley