Jofra Archer loves playing for England: Ben Stokes defends IPL-enforced absence of pacer from Tests

England captain Ben Stokes has backed Jofra Archer amid criticism for the fast bowler’s absence from the first Test against New Zealand, insisting the pacer’s commitment to England should not be called into question because of his IPL commitments.

Archer was allowed to stay with Rajasthan Royals for the IPL play-offs instead of joining the England team ahead of the series opener at Lord’s.

The 31-year-old featured in Rajasthan’s defeat to Gujarat Titans in the qualifiers last week and is currently in Barbados, meaning he is unavailable for the first Test and could also miss the second match at The Oval.

His absence drew criticism from several former cricketers. Former England captain Michael Atherton described the situation as “incredibly frustrating”. Former New Zealand pacer Simon Doull called it “absolutely ridiculous” that Archer was unavailable for the start of the series.

On the eve of the Lord’s Test, Stokes said the reality of modern cricket is very different from that faced by previous generations.

“I totally understand people’s frustration around it, but there’s another side to it,” Stokes told reporters.

“It has a lot to do with the landscape of cricket and where it is at the moment.

“The people around Jof make a lot of points and this situation is related to the landscape when they played.

“But it’s completely different now. Cricketers now have opportunities that weren’t there 10, 15, 20 years ago.”

Stokes acknowledged that every captain would like to have his strongest team available for every match, but said the packed cricket calendar often made that impossible.

“Yes, in an ideal situation it would be incredibly great to have anyone you want at every opportunity.

“That’s not the way cricket is at the moment. There’s a lot more to the players.”

The England captain was also quick to dismiss suggestions that Archer’s absence reflected a lack of commitment to the national team. The fast bowler remains centrally contracted to England and has spent the last few years battling a series of injuries in a bid to revive his international career.

“There’s a situation where it could get messed up and players like Jofra might not play for England again if you handled it in a different way and that’s not good for anybody,” Stokes said.

“Jofra has shown he is committed and loves playing for England. Not being available for this first Test match doesn’t change that.”

Archer’s absence has once again highlighted the challenges facing international teams as franchise leagues continue to occupy a growing place in the cricket calendar.

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Issued by:

Saurabh Kumar

Published on:

03 Jun 2026 18:38 IST