London [UK], July 9 : Ahead of the third Test against India at Lord's, England skipper Ben Stokes expressed excitement over pacer Jofra Archer's return, saying that the pacer must be proud of himself to bring himself back into the Test set-up after a gap of four years following injury scares.
With the series one-piece each following India's 336-run hammering to England at Edgbaston, England made a massive change to their line-up, putting Archer on the playing eleven sheet for his first Test in four years.
Archer, 30, returns to the Test setup for the first time since February 2021. Known for his express pace, Archer's inclusion is expected to bolster England's relatively inexperienced bowling attack, which has lacked bite in patches during the ongoing series. Recently, he made a red-ball return at first-class level for Sussex before joining up with the England squad for the second Test against India in Birmingham.
Ahead of the match, Stokes said as quoted by Sky Sports, "Really exciting. I think it is great for English fans, but also for Jof. It has been a long time coming for him. The way in which he has handled injury setbacks over that period has been very commendable, and the way in which he has got himself back onto the field and playing cricket over a long period of time now, it is exciting to have him back."
"I think Jof is going to be pretty proud of himself that he has managed to get himself back here after two pretty big injury scares," he added.
Stokes also said that there are no plans to limit Archer's workload during the match.
"There is definitely going to be no preconceived ideas around he is only bowling spells of four or five, definitely not," he said.
"We have had two tough games, a lot of time in the field, and got through some overs as a bowling unit. You get to this position here with back-to-back Test matches, and you feel it is the right time to get some fresh legs in, and it was exciting that we had the ability to be able to call on someone like Jof," he added.
Stokes noted that whenever Archer has a ball in hand, there is a change in the game.
"The opposition feels it as well because they know what he can do in a spell. I do not think there is any reason why we cannot see Jofra Archer operating at a level like we have seen here at Lord's on his debut," he added.
Archer last played a Test match in February 2021, and has since battled multiple injuries. While he made a return to England's white-ball setup ahead of the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup and has featured in ODIs and T20Is, his red-ball workload has been carefully managed. He has played 13 Tests, having taken 42 wickets.