Overview

• Archer will make his first red-ball appearance for England since 2021 when he takes the field in the third Test against India at Lord’s on July 10, 2025.
• He missed England’s May ODI series with the West Indies due to a right thumb injury but has since regained fitness through county cricket and national squad training.
• Ben Stokes insisted Archer earned selection on merit and is fit to bowl extended spells over the full five days of Test cricket.
• His recall reflects a deliberate ECB workload management approach that saw Archer restricted to white-ball cricket in 2024 after stress fractures in his elbow and lower back.
• The Barbados-born fast bowler first burst onto the scene during England’s 2019 World Cup and Ashes successes before injuries stalled his red-ball career.