Brendon McCullum says England are “hopeful” Jofra Archer will be available for the second Test against New Zealand, yet the head coach has reminded everyone that fitness does not equal an automatic place. Archer, back in Barbados after the IPL with Rajasthan Royals, sat out the Lord’s opener because the break between formats was simply too tight. He has been bowling again at home and is expected in London later this week, when medical staff will make a final call.
“We’re hopeful he will be available for the second Test; then we’ll work out conditions-wise where we’re at,” McCullum explained after England wrapped up a low-scoring, 138-run win at Lord’s. “He’s following a plan. We completely trust Jof. He’s shown us in the past what he does, which is get himself ready based on the plans we get together and come up with. He’s always turned up in the condition we wanted from him.”
Even if those checks come back green, the 29-year-old is anything but guaranteed a recall. Gus Atkinson, Ollie Robinson and Josh Tongue shared 19 wickets between them on an awkward Lord’s surface, each finding sharp movement and enough pace to trouble New Zealand’s batters. The trio’s display, plus the presence of unused options in Sonny Baker and Matthew Fisher, gives England room to pick according to The Oval pitch rather than reputation.
“We need a huge array of fast bowlers [to pick from] based on the conditions you feel you’re going to be confronted with,” McCullum said, reaffirming the “horses for courses” mantra he and Ben Stokes have pushed since taking charge. England, he added, are intent on building a proper “battery” of quicks rather than leaning on any single headline act.
Archer’s recent red-ball numbers are solid – 18 wickets at 27.88 in five Tests since last summer’s comeback, capped by a five-for in Adelaide – but he has not played the longer format since December. The management’s reticence to rush him contrasted sharply with India’s decision to unleash Mohammed Siraj straight after the IPL, and with New Zealand selecting Matt Henry and Kyle Jamieson for Lord’s. Henry, incidentally, managed only 11 overs before back spasms intervened, underlining the gamble that comes with quick turnarounds.
In Stokes’s side, overs from the captain himself were limited to seven at Lord’s as he continues a cautious return from knee surgery. Shoaib Bashir, the lone spinner, went unused. Those quirks made the seamers’ performance stand out even more, and McCullum hinted that Baker’s extra pace, or Fisher’s heavy length, could yet come into the conversation if The Oval looks flat. “Sonny Baker was close, as well,” the coach noted. “We thought if air-speed was going to be important and the pitch was going to be flat, he would be a viable option. Fish has been bowling beautifully, then you’ve got Jofra and Brydon Carse.” Carse is recovering from a hand fracture picked up at the IPL in March but is pencilled in for the back end of the season.
McCullum finished with a nod to the wider pool: “Then you’ve got a multitude of players who are developing through the county,” he said, pointing to the likes of Dillon Pennington and John Turner who have been on the radar during the early Championship rounds.
Selection for the 17 June Test will therefore hinge on two things: Archer’s medical tick and the surface that greets England at The Oval. Recent Championship matches there have offered a little early nip before flattening out, but curator Lee Fortis often leaves a stripe of grass for pace. If that grass remains, Archer’s brisk pace and bounce could be irresistible. If it is shaved off and the sun stays out, Bashir’s off-spin or even an extra batter might trump another quick.
For now, England wait on fitness reports, weather maps and, of course, Archer himself. As McCullum put it, selecting an XI is “never an exact science”, but England will gladly embrace having too many fast bowlers rather than too few.
