England captain Ben Stokes have come out in support of the fast bowler. Jofra Archer Amidst criticism for his absence from the opening Test against New Zealand. Archer will miss the first match of the series at Lord’s after fulfilling his commitments with the IPL recently. Rajasthan Royalswho reached the playoffs before being knocked out.The fast bowler’s unavailability has been criticized by some former players and pundits, who believe England should be his top priority given the central contract with the national team. Questions have also been raised about whether Archer will be fit and available for the second Test later this month.Stokes acknowledged that some fans and former cricketers may be disappointed, but said that modern cricket is very different from years ago as players now have opportunities to play in franchise leagues around the world.“A lot of the points that people will be making around Jove and I think that situation is with the scenario when he was playing,” Stokes said. “It’s completely different now. There are opportunities for cricketers now that weren’t there 10, 15, 20 years ago. Yes, in an ideal situation, it would be incredibly good to have every opportunity available to everyone you want. But that’s not the way cricket is at the moment. There’s a lot for the players.”The England captain asserted that the landscape of cricket has changed and teams need to adapt rather than expecting players to always be available.Stokes also warned that dealing with Archer’s poor condition could drive talented players away from international cricket altogether.“There’s a situation where it could be messed up, and players like Jofra can’t play for England again if you handle it differently,” Stokes said, “and that’s not good for anybody.“I think Joffe has shown that he is committed and wants to play for England. Just because he is not available for this first Test does not change that.”Archer is currently taking a short break before assessing the remaining matches of the series.
