ENGLAND coach Brendon McCullum says Jofra Archer is “ready to go” as he contemplates recalling the express paceman for the third Test against India after four years of injury-induced exile.
Archer was in the squad for the second Test at Edgbaston but did not feature as India hammered England by 336 runs on Sunday to square the five-match series at 1-1.
The third match of the series starts at Lord’s on Thursday.
With a tight turnaround, both sides are set to change their pace attacks, with India already confirming the return of their strike bowler Jasprit Bumrah, who was rested at Edgbaston.
Barbados-born Archer burst onto the international scene in 2019 but played the last of his 13 Tests in February 2021.
This season the 30-year-old has bowled just 18 first-class overs in a lone appearance for county side Sussex.
But England are giving serious thought to recalling Archer at Lord’s as they seek to pep up their attack.
“It’s hugely exciting, he’s buzzing as well,“ said McCullum.
“He’s obviously been through his injuries and his time out of Test cricket, but we all know what he’s capable of achieving and we hope that when the opportunity does arrive for him, he’s able to recapture and improve on what he’s been able to do already.”
One change McCullum is not contemplating is deploying Jacob Bethell in place of specialist off-spinner Shoaib Bashir.
The 21-year-old Bashir’s eight wickets in the first two Tests against India have come at a hugely expensive average of nearly 60.
Bethell, a far better batsman than tailender Bashir, bowls left-arm spin but McCullum said that was not how the Warwickshire all-rounder would regain his Test place.
“He’s a batting option. He’s the next one in if something happens, but we don’t crowbar anything,“ said former New Zealand captain McCullum.
As for Bashir, he added: “We know (Bashir) is not the finished article yet, but I feel like he’s getting better and better. As the series wears on, I think we’ll see him play quite a big hand.”
McCullum said he hoped for a better balance between bat and ball in the remaining three games against India.
The opening two Tests have yielded 11 centuries between the teams, with India captain Shubman Gill taking his series aggregate to an astonishing 585 runs in Birmingham. – AFP
