Jofra Archer: England bowler keen to play Tests again, says Brendon McCullum

Since his return, Archer has taken part in the 2024 T20 World Cup, the home series against Australia and tours of the West Indies, India and most recently the Champions Trophy in Pakistan.

Archer took seven wickets as he played in six of the eight games in India, before claiming six wickets in England’s three Champions Trophy matches.

“Jofra’s been out of competitive cricket for a couple of years, it’s taken a little bit of time to get that rhythm of gameplay back but I think he’s been really good,” said McCullum.

“He’s bowled high pace, he’s played a lot of cricket, he’s been able to get a significant workload under his belt throughout this tournament [the Champions Trophy].

“We’ve seen moments of how great Jof is, even tonight [on Saturday] a couple of wickets he took and the other night against Afghanistan, three with the new ball.”

England’s next Test is a one-off game against Zimbabwe on 22 May, which clashes with the conclusion of the Indian Premier League where Archer is set to play for Rajasthan Royals.

A five-Test series against India follows, before the Ashes from November in Australia.