England captain Ben Stokes hits back at Simon Doull for his ‘absolutely ludicrous’ remark on Jofra Archer over his unavailability for the three-match Test series opener against New Zealand at Lord’s.
Archer has been given a break after his IPL 2026 commitments with the Rajasthan Royals. England will be hosting New Zealand in a crucial three-match Test series, starting on June 4 at the iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground in London.
However, the fiery paceman will miss the first Test, and there are also chances of him missing the second Test, starting on June 17, as England feels he needs “a little bit of a break” after IPL 2026.
Jofra Archer was in excellent form in the IPL 2026, where he finished as the third leading wicket-taker with 25 wickets and helped Rajasthan Royals to reach the Qualifier 2.
But his unavailability for the England vs New Zealand Tests raised many eyebrows, with Doull going absolutely blunt in his attack.
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Simon Doull was quoted as saying by Sky Sports, “It's ludicrous. Absolutely ludicrous. How are you paying this guy up to £1 million per year, and he's not available for your first Test match? It is absolutely ludicrous.
The last time that New Zealand came here, 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 and overs so that they were ready to go when they arrived.”
Ben Stokes backs Jofra Archer amid backlash; says players have more options
Addressing the massive backlash, Ben Stokes has stressed that Jofra Archer is committed to England, but noted that the game has changed significantly compared to the past, and that players now have many more career options and opportunities.
The star all-rounder feels every team would like all players to be available all the time, but that is not always possible in this era because individuals have different commitments.
Stokes said in the pre-match press conference at Lord's, “A lot of the points that people would be making around Jof and that situation I think are to do with the landscape back when they were playing. It’s completely different now."
"There are opportunities for cricketers now that there weren't 10, 15, or 20 years ago. Yes, in an ideal situation, it would be unbelievably great to have everyone who you want available every single opportunity. But it’s not the way of cricket at the moment. There’s so much more out there for players.”
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Ben Stokes sends strong warning over Jofra Archer situation ahead of ENG vs NZ Tests
Defending Jofra Archer, Stokes insisted that England must be careful not to turn a temporary situation into a long-term problem. The England skipper said that putting too much pressure on Archer could backfire and leave them without one of their most dangerous fast bowlers.
He made it clear that Archer’s love and commitment to playing for England should never be judged just because he is unavailable for the first Test against New Zealand.
Stokes signed off by saying, “There is a situation where it could get messy and players like Jofra might not play for England again if you handle it a different way, and that’s not good for anyone. Jof, I think, has shown that he is committed and loves playing for England. Just because he’s not available for this first test match does not change that.”
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