Jofra Archer last played for England in tests in 2021. James Anderson, a former England speed icon, has urged the team’s management to think about selecting Jofra Archer for the third test match against India, which will be played from 10th July at the Lord’s Cricket Ground in London. Archer recently made his comeback in the longest format of the game during the 2025 County Championship, despite the fact that he hasn’t played in a test match since March 2021 in Ahmedabad.
After England’s crushing 336-run loss to India at Edgbaston, James Anderson emphasised the need to ease Archer back into the international system in tests by progressively increasing his bowling workload. He suggested that the high-stakes Lord’s test is the ideal opportunity to do so.
India piled up 587 and 427/6d in the two innings of the Edgbaston test against England’s bowling lineup featuring Chris Woakes, Josh Tongue, Brydon Carse, Shoaib Bashir, and Ben Stokes.
James Anderson Urges England to Back Archer for Crucial Test
England legend James Anderson has thrown his support behind Jofra Archer, urging captain Ben Stokes and the current team management to pick the pace ace for the upcoming third Test against India.
“You could keep building up his workload and wait until later in the series, but that might be too late,” Anderson told the ICC. “James Anderson already played a match for Sussex, was with the squad at Edgbaston, and even bowled a bit. This game is too important not to play him—I think he has to be in.”
Archer recently bowled 18 overs for Sussex and picked up a wicket against Durham at Chester-le-Street. He was also present with the England squad at Edgbaston but didn’t make the playing XI.
James Anderson: Since making his Test debut in 2019 against Australia—where he famously forced Steve Smith to retire hurt with a fiery bouncer—Archer has taken 42 wickets in 13 Tests, with a best of 6/45. He holds a bowling average of 31.04 and an economy rate of 2.99.
