Jofra Archer: Ben Stokes warns England against tough IPL position

Captain Ben Stokes has warned that players may quit international cricket if England take a strong stand against the Indian Premier League.

Fast bowler Jofra Archer has missed the first Test against New Zealand at Lord’s following his IPL season. And he may not be ready to play in the second.

“It’s unbelievably great to get everything you want at every opportunity in good conditions. That’s not the way of cricket these days,” Stokes said.

“It’s a mess and players like Jofra may not play for England again if they handle it differently and that’s not good for anyone.

“Jofra has shown he’s committed and loves playing for England. Just because he’s not available for this first test match doesn’t change that.”

Archer was part of the Rajasthan Royals team that lost to Gujarat Titans in the IPL qualifier on Friday.

The 31-year-old is currently in his country of birth, Barbados, and will not return to England after the first Test. The second Test at The Oval begins on June 17.

Bower’s absence in the first Test at Lord’s means England are without their main fast bowler as they look to rebuild after their 4-1 Ashes defeat in Australia.

Former England captain Michael Atherton and Michael Vaughan are among those who have questioned Archer’s absence.

“I know the whole situation has been talked about a lot in the last two weeks. I completely understand the frustration of people around him, but there is another side,” Stokes said.

“People are making a lot of points about Joff and it has to do with the environment when he plays. It’s completely different now. There are opportunities for cricketers that weren’t there 10, 15, 20 years ago.

“There’s a lot more to the players. I get both sides of the story. ‘Why isn’t Geoff here?’ But I understand there are other possibilities and you want players to be able to.