From June 4, England will be up against New Zealand for a three-match Test series, and there are doubts over Jofra Archer's availability. Archer played the entire IPL 2026 season for the Rajasthan Royals, and then, following the season, it is reported that the England pacer will not be able to play the first Test at Lord’s, and could miss the second Test match as well.
The absence of Jofra Arches makes former New Zealand cricketer Simon Doull annoyed and disgusted at once. While he was talking with the former England captain, Nasser Hussain, Doull spilled out his dissatisfaction over Jofra Archer, as he prioritized a franchise league over national duties.
Simon Doull states that it is ridiculous that the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has been spending millions of pounds on Jofra Archer in a single year, and in return, they get no significant return.
“It's ludicrous, absolutely ludicrous. How are you paying this guy up to a million pounds a year, and he's not available for your first test match? It is absolutely ludicrous,” the former New Zealand cricketer said during the conversation with Nasser Hussain for the Sky Sports Segment.
In return, the former England cricketer asks what the New Zealand cricket board does if any of their players do the same, as there are multiple star Kiwi players who are part of the Indian Premier League.
What will New Zealand do if they face similar situation?
In response, Doull mentioned that despite the tight schedules and multiple commitments, Tim Southee, Trent Boult, and Matt Henry did the preparations with the red ball in between the games.
“Tim Southee, Trent Boult, and Matt Henry were all practicing in between games in the IPL with a red ball and getting through overs and overs so that they were ready to go when they arrived. I think they arrived five days before the first test after the IPL on that previous tour,” the former Kiwi cricketer mentioned.
Doull put a finger on the ECB as well
Doull emphasized that there was ample amount of time for Jofra Archer to get himself prepared for the Test series. He questions the ECB’s intention as well as the board’s duty to keep its key players prepared for upcoming assignments.
“And why is the ECB not then sending someone out there or having discussions with Kumar Sangakkara, with the team saying, we need him to be doing this. We need him to be ready for the test match; we've allowed him to come to you for this period. In between days, he needs to be bowling five overs, six overs, seven overs with the red ball so that he's ready to go,” Simon Doull said.
Simon Doull says that Jofra Archer being unavailable for England’s first New Zealand Test, following his involvement in the IPL, is “completely wrong” ? pic.twitter.com/TjWdKzhR7c
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) June 3, 2026“And there's enough time, if you're doing that in between games, there's enough time to come back here for a week and get ready for a test match. There's no issue with that. So I think it's completely wrong,” he concluded.
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