“They’ll be wanting to get some repayment" – Stuart Broad’s massive statement on England pacer’s Test comeback ahead of ENG vs IND 2025 series

Former England pacer Stuart Broad is keen to witness Jofra Archer’s comeback to Test cricket in the upcoming five-match series against India, which gets underway in Leeds, starting June 20. The remarks came amid reports that the speedster will miss the first two Tests due to a thumb issue.

Broad stressed that Archer needs to repay the cricket board with his performances for his red-ball contract renewal over the years, despite playing his last Test against India in February 2021 (in Ahmedabad). Notably, the 30-year-old has been in and out of England's white-ball setup due to multiple injuries over the last few years.

Stuart Broad told the PA news agency (via India Today):

“I’m assuming England have had him on a red-ball contract for a few years since he last made an impact. They’ll be wanting to get some repayment out of that.”

“I’m sure he’ll play a part at some stage if he’s fit. It will just be making sure his body is hard enough to be able to do the job,” he added.

Jofra Archer, who made his Test debut against Australia in August 2019, has played 13 Tests for England. The lanky fast bowler has 42 scalps in 24 innings, including three five-wicket hauls in the longest format.

Archer has bagged four wickets in three innings against India in Tests. In white-ball formats, he has scalped 14 and one wicket in 11 T20Is and two ODIs, respectively.

The Barbados-born bowler recently represented the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in IPL 2025, picking up 11 wickets in 12 matches.

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“He didn’t look match fit at the Champions Trophy” – England legend expresses concern over Jofra Archer’s availability ahead of Test series against India

Stuart Broad further expressed his doubts over Jofra Archer’s availability for the Tests against India. The 38-year-old pointed out how the pacer didn’t look match-fit during the 2025 Champions Trophy and was restricted to bowling only four overs during IPL 2025. Broad said in the same conversation:

“He [Archer] didn’t look match fit at the Champions Trophy. He bowled three or four nice overs and then struggled. He seemed to develop more of a match intensity at the IPL, which is mentally taxing, but you’re only bowling four overs. When you come into Test match cricket and suddenly your distance is 50 km over five days, it’s a completely different question.”

The cricketer-turned-commentator added that Archer’s fitness will only be transparent when he plays the red-ball format:

“That is a really, really difficult question to answer because you can only really get match fit for a Test match by playing red-ball cricket. It will be a huge gamble. If we see him in whites for England this summer, there will be a lot of people chewing fingernails and praying a bone doesn’t crack.”

As per ESPNcricinfo, Jofra Archer is likely to play the County Championship Division 1 match for Sussex against Durham. Chester-le-Street will host the first-class game, beginning June 22.

England squad for first Test vs India: Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Sam Cook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jamie Overton, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jamie Smith (wk), Ben Stokes (captain), Josh Tongue, Chris Woakes.