Jofra Archer finished as Rajasthan Royals’ top wicket-taker with 25 wickets in 16 matches. | Photo Credit: PTI

England captain Ben Stokes said the “landscape of cricket” has changed as he defended Jofra Archer’s absence from the first Test against New Zealand at Lord’s because of the fast bowler’s IPL commitments.

Archer was part of the Rajasthan Royals side that lost to Gujarat Titans in the IPL qualifier last Friday and is not with England for the first Test, starting Thursday.

The 31-year-old is now in Barbados, the country of his birth, and will not return to England until after the first Test. The second Test at The Oval begins on June 17, and Archer could miss that match as well.

Archer, however, still has an England central contract.

Former England captain Michael Atherton has called the situation incredibly frustrating, while Simon Doull, the former New Zealand pacer, described the injury-prone fast bowler’s absence from the series opener as “absolutely ludicrous”.

Stokes, speaking to reporters at Lord’s on Wednesday, said there were two sides to the issue.

“I totally understand people’s frustrations around it, but there is another side to it,” he said.

“A lot of it has to do with the landscape of cricket and where it is at the moment.

“A lot of points people are making around Jof and that situation, are to do with the landscape when they were playing.

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“But it’s completely different now. There’s opportunities for cricketers now that there was not 10, 15, 20 years ago.

“Yes, in an ideal situation it would be unbelievably great to have everyone who you want available at every single opportunity.

“That is not the way of cricket at the moment. There is so much more out there for players.”

Stokes said no one should question Archer’s desire to play for England.

“There is a situation where it could get messy and players like Jofra might not play for England again if you handle it in a different way, and that is not good for anyone,” he said.

“Jofra has shown that he’s committed and loves playing for England. Just because he’s not available for this first Test match does not change that.”

Published on Jun 03, 2026