‘Nowadays cricketers have such…’, Captain Ben Stokes said a big thing on Jofra Archer’s absence in the Test due to IPL

By Samira Vishwas On Jun 3, 2026

ENG vs NZ: The Indian Premier League 2026 season is over. The final match of IPL 2026 was played on 31 May, in which Royal Challengers Bangalore defeated Gujarat Titans and won the title for the second consecutive time. Now after the end of IPL, international cricket is about to start. In the same month of June, Team India played its international series. The test series between England and New Zealand is about to start. England fast bowler Joffra Archer is not a part of the first test against New Zealand. Actually, Archer played for Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2026 and the team had traveled till Qualifier-2. In such a situation, Archer has been given rest, due to which he is being criticized. Now England captain Ben Stokes has defended Archer.

Jofra Archer is being criticized for not being a part of the first test against New Zealand

A 3 test match series will be played between England and New Zealand. This series will start from June 4. Joffra Archer is not part of the England squad for the first test. A day before the start of the series, England captain Ben Stokes held a press conference, in which he answered many questions. During this, Ben Stokes was seen defending his team’s fast bowler Joffra Archer. Actually, Archer was being criticized for not being a part of the Test series against New Zealand due to IPL.

England captain Ben Stokes defends Jofra Archer

Ben Stokes, defending Joffra Archer, said, “There are opportunities available to cricketers these days which were not there 10, 15 or 20 years ago. Ideally it would be great to have the player you want available for every match, but that is the reality of cricket at the moment. There are so many more opportunities for players now.

If Joffra is handled differently, we can stop playing – Ben Stokes

The England captain further said, “I understand both sides, on one hand people are asking why Joffra is not here, on the other hand I also understand that players should be allowed to take advantage of those other opportunities as well. I also want the players to play for England. In such a situation, things can get a bit complicated, and if players like Joffra are handled differently then they may stop playing for England in the future, which will not be good for anyone.” He has proven that he loves playing for England, just because he is not available for this first Test match does not change that.

England captain Ben Stokes responds to those criticizing Jofra Archer’s absence from the England squad, following his IPL involvement 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/iAG4MoHTT4
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) June 3, 2026

Joffra Archer was part of Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2026

Jofra Archer was a part of Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2026. Rajasthan Royals team had made its place in Qualifier-2. IPL 2026 qualifier was played on May 29. Archer was also a part of this match. Rajasthan team could go to the final, which was played on 31 May. In such a situation, it is not possible for Archer to be available for the test to be held from June 4. For this reason he was not included in the squad for the first test.

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