"Gamble Worth Taking": England Great On Possibility Of Jofra Archer Playing Birmingham Test vs India
Former England skipper Nasser Hussain shared his thoughts on the inclusion of right-arm seamer Jofra Archer for the second Test, where he believed that the Three Lions have played a "gamble worth taking" by including him in the line-up. England announced the squad for the second Test against India, starting from July 2 at Edgbaston, with pacer Jofra Archer included in the team after over four years. England is leading the five-match Anderson-Tendulkar trophy 1-0 following a five-wicket win at Leeds.
Speaking on Archer's inclusion, Nasser Hussain said, as quoted by Sky Sports, "Firstly you have to say it's good news for Archer and England in that Jof must have been through so much with those [elbow and back injuries], the rehab, the pain, the mental torment of continually getting injured and making comebacks, so it's great to see him back in the squad, he hasn't played a Test match for four years. Fundamentally, if you're an England fan, you should be pleased to see Jofra Archer back in a red ball squad."
Further, the 57-year-old said that playing the spearhead in the second Test would be a "risk too much this week" as he believes the bowler's body is not fully fit.
"I think it's too much of a risk this week, but it may have gone so well - I don't know Jofra Archer's body - it may have gone so well that they say 'we'll play you this week'. Then the problem is, who do you leave out? I do think it is a gamble worth taking, I just don't know if it's worth taking this week. I would do it a week after at Lord's," he added.
The 30-year-old right-arm quick returning to the England Test since February 2021 will be looking to add to his 13 Test caps at Edgbaston next week, as per an England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) release. Archer has 42 wickets at an average of 31.04, with the best figures of 6/45.
Archer played his first red-ball contest in more than four years earlier this week when he turned out for Sussex in their four-day match against Durham at Chester-Le-Street and showed glimpses of his best as he scored 31 with the bat and collected figures of 1/32 from 18 overs as the teams played out a draw, as per ICC.
Other than that, the squad remains unchanged.
England Men's Test squad for 2nd Test: Ben Stokes (capt), Jofra Archer, Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Sam Cook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jamie Overton, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Josh Tongue, Chris Woakes.
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