Former England skipper Nasser Hussain has said that the inclusion of pacer Jofra Archer in the second Test against India could be a ‘gamble’. Notably, Archer did not play the first match against India but has been named in the English squad for the second Test starting from 2 July at Edgbaston.
Nasser Hussain on playing Archer against India:
Speaking about the possibility of playing Archer in the second Test match, Hussain said, “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.”
Hussain also pointed that inclusion of Archer will also require the removal of one of the current pacers which could prove to be a gamble given that England are 1- 0 in the series.
“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.
England won the first Test match against India at Leeds against all odds as the visiting sides had five centurions in their ranks. The Ben Stokes led side chased down a total of 371 runs in the last innings of the match to win the first match of the series by 5 wickets.
