England captain Ben Stokes has cautioned that if England tries to reduce their Indian Premier League commitments, top players like Jofra Archer would be discouraged from playing for his country.
England will play New Zealand in their first Test match at Lord’s on Thursday, several months after their humiliating 1-4 Ashes series defeat in Australia. However, Archer, a member of the Rajasthan Royals side that was defeated by the Gujarat Titans in the IPL Qualifier 2 on Friday, will be absent.
The 31-year-old is currently at his birthplace of Barbados, and it is still unclear if he will be available for the second Test at the Oval. Despite five years of injury issues, the England and Wales Cricket Board has supported Archer, who has a lucrative England central contract.
Archer’s absence from the series opener was deemed “absolutely ludicrous” by former New Zealand pacer Simon Doull. However, Stokes warned media at Lord’s on Wednesday that if elite white-ball players had to be available for every game, Test cricket may lose them.
“I totally understand people’s frustrations around it, but there is another side to it. A lot of it has to do with the landscape of cricket and where it is at the moment. A lot of points people are making around Jof and that situation are to do with the landscape when they were playing. But it’s completely different now. There are opportunities for cricketers now that there were not 10, 15, 20 years ago,” AFP quoted Stokes as saying.
Stokes cautioned against taking a strict stance, stating that Archer’s desire to play for England was undeniable.
“There is a situation where it could get messy and players like Jofra might not play for England again if you handle it in a different way, and that is not good for there anyone. Jofra has shown that he’s committed and loves playing for England. Just because he’s not available for this first Test match does not change that,” he said.
In the 20-over IPL, Jacob Bethell played for Royal Challengers Bengaluru; nevertheless, he is playing for England in the opening match of a three-Test series at Lord’s. Since his incredible Ashes century in Sydney in January, the batsman has not participated in any significant red-ball cricket.
“It’s just one of those things. You have your number three (Bethell), he has a great couple of games out in Australia, then he spends nine or 10 weeks out in India and you are seeing him two days before a Test match. That is almost becoming the norm. The game is changing all the time. There are some things you have to roll with and accept, it is what it is,” said Stokes.
