Captain Ben Stokes has warned that players may quit international cricket if England takes a tough stance on the Indian Premier League.
Fast bowler Jofra Archer is missing the first Test against New Zealand at Lord’s after his IPL stint and may not be ready to play in the second match.
Stokes said, “In an ideal situation it would be incredibly nice to have whoever you want available at every opportunity. That’s not the way of cricket at the moment.”
“There’s a situation where it could go wrong and if you handle it differently a player like Jofra might not be able to play for England again, and that’s not good for anyone.
“Jofra has shown that he is committed and loves playing for England. Just because he is not available for this first Test match, it will not 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 now in Barbados, the country of his birth, and will not return to England until after the first Test. The second Test at the Oval will start from June 17.
Archer’s absence in the first Test at Lord’s means England are without their premier fast bowler as they look to rebuild after the 4-1 Ashes defeat in Australia.
Former England captains Michael Atherton and Michael Vaughan are among those raising questions over Archer’s unavailability.
Stokes said, “I know there has been a lot of discussion about the whole situation over the last few weeks. I completely understand people’s frustration with it, but there is another side to it as well.”
“People are saying a lot of things about Joff and the situation is related to the scenario when he was playing. It is completely different now. There are opportunities for cricketers now which were not there 10, 15, 20 years ago.
“There’s a lot out there for the players. I understand both sides of the story. ‘Why isn’t Joff here?’ But I also understand there are other opportunities and you want players to be able to do them.”