LORD'S — England head coach Brendon McCullum said Jofra Archer’s availability for the second Test against New Zealand at Lord’s on 17 June will be assessed after the fast bowler completes a break in Barbados. Archer is not with the England squad for the first Test, which began on Thursday at Lord’s, having been ruled unavailable following what the team described as “a long six months on the road.”
Archer missed the opening Test after participating in the Indian Premier League with Rajasthan Royals, whose season ended with a loss to Gujarat Titans in Friday’s qualifier. He is currently in Barbados, the country of his birth, and will not return to England until after the first Test concludes.
“Jofra we need to assess,” McCullum told BBC Sport. “He's having a little bit of a break at the moment. We've seen in the past we can leave Jof to his own devices, work on his game and follow a plan that has been set. He turns up having followed that plan to a tee. When we see him we'll work out where he sits and if he's available for the second Test. If not, we'll look at the third Test.”
Archer, 31, returned to Test cricket in July 2025 against India at Lord’s after a four-year absence due to injury. He was among England’s bowlers during the Ashes series in Australia before a side strain forced him to miss the final two matches of the 4-1 defeat.
Archer signed with Rajasthan Royals for the 2025 IPL season on a deal worth about £1.18 million. Under recent IPL regulations, players who withdraw from the competition for non-medical reasons face a potential two-year ban, though Archer completed his full stint with the team before departing for his break.
When England named their squad for the first Test, they stated Archer was “unavailable” after “a long six months on the road.”