England fast bowler Jofra Archer entered Thursday’s Big Bash League (BBL) T20 draft along with 49 other English cricketers. Archer is currently nursing a thumb injury and has been ruled out of the first Test against India, starting June 20 at Headingley, Leeds. England will play a five-match Test series against India. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced a 14-member squad for the first Test, of which Archer was not part.

According to a BBC report, the 30-year-old plans to return to red-ball cricket during this winter’s Ashes series in Australia. However, he has made himself fully available for the BBL.

Among other English cricketers, batters Ollie Pope and Jacob Bethell have made themselves available for only four to six games and the finals.

Archer previously played for the Hobart Hurricanes in 2017 and 2018, claiming 34 wickets at an average of 23.26.

Other new names to enter the BBL draft include all-rounder Liam Dawson, batters Jason Roy and Jordan Cox, and bowlers Luke Wood and Reece Topley.

The BBL will start on December 15, and the final is scheduled for January 27, 2026. The T20 league will give players one of the last chances to impress selectors before February's T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.

England have been dealing with a crisis in the bowling department ahead of the high-octane Test series against India, led by a young captain named Shubman Gill. They have been forced to field a young and inexperienced bowling attack. Injuries to Mark Wood, Olly Stone, and Gus Atkinson have come as a big blow—along with Jofra Archer’s absence.

There is a hope that Jofra could make a comeback to the England squad before the second Test against India at Edgbaston (2-6 July) since he was seen playing for second XI of Sussex. But fingers are crossed as there an element of doubt. Archer's four-year absence from red-ball cricket was triggered by a string of stress injuries to his lower back and right elbow, while his current schedule has already featured one setback after he injured his thumb in the Indian Premier League.

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