Jofra Archer of Rajasthan Royals celebrates the wicket of Abhishek Sharma of Sunrisers Hyderabad during Eliminator of the TATA Indian Premier League 2026 between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals at New International Cricket Stadium, New Chandigarh, India, on May 27, 2026. (CREIMAS)England head coach Brendon McCullum is hopeful of ace fast bowler Jofra Archer being available to play for their second Test against New Zealand at The Oval, having missed the first due to the quick turnover after the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL). Archer’s decision to skip the first Test due to playing in the IPL was a topic of much controversy.“We are hopeful he will be available for the second Test. Then we will work out conditions-wise where we are at,” McCullum told reporters after England won the first test by 115 runs.“He is following a plan and we completely trust Jof. He has shown in the past that he gets himself ready based on the plans we get together and come up with. He has always turned up in the condition we want from him.”In Archer’s absence, Gus Atkinson, Ollie Robinson and Josh Tongue combined to take 19 wickets in England’s low-scoring win at Lord’s on Sunday, and McCullum indicated Archer would not be guaranteed a place even if fit for the second test starting on June 17.Archer last played Test cricket against Australia in Adelaide in December, where he claimed six wickets, and has been in impressive form since his return last year, taking 18 wickets in five matches after a four-year absence from the format.Over the past two and a half months, Archer was a leading figure in Rajasthan Royals’ run to the IPL’s Qualifier 2, although, his performances and nearly everything else this season was overshadowed by the exploits of his 15-year-old teammate Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. Archer was the third highest wicket-taker of the season, taking 25 scalps in 16 matches at an economy of 9.31 and average of 22.36.Simon Doull, who is part of the commentary team for the three-match series, said that Archer missing the first Test due to the IPL was “absolutely ludicrous.”Story continues below this adHow are you paying this guy up to a million pound a year and he’s not available for your first Test match? It’s absolutely ludicrous,” Doull said on Sky Sports.“The last time New Zealand came here, we go back to that last Bazball series. Tim Southee, Trent Boult, Matt Henry were all practicing in between games in the IPL with the red ball and getting through over and overs and overs so they were ready to go when they arrived. I think they arrived 5 days before the first Test after the IPL on that previous tour. Ok, it didn’t work out, NZ lost the series 3-0 but there is no reason that Jofra Archer couldn’t have been bowling six or seven overs each in between day. The fact that he is not doing that tells me he has no interest in playing Test cricket,” Doull said.Stay updated with the latest sports news across Cricket, Football, Chess, and more. Catch all the action with real-time live cricket score updates and in-depth coverage of ongoing matches.Tags:Brendon McCullumJofra Archer