Jofra Archer will have to wait a little longer to make his return to England’s red-ball squad, as the ECB chose an unchanged XI for the second Test of the high-voltage Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, which begins on Wednesday, July 1 at Edgbaston in Birmingham.

The Three Lions chose continuity, sticking with the same starting XI throughout the five-match series against India, which allowed them take a 1-0 lead. Ben Stokes and his team overcame Shubman Gill’s men by five wickets at Headingley in Leeds, chasing a difficult 371-run total in the fourth innings.

Archer was recruited to the squad following his successful return to first-class cricket with Essex.

According to sources, the right-arm seamer did not attend England’s training session on Monday, June 30, due to a family situation.

England’s bowling team, particularly the speed attack, was under scrutiny before of the series, with Chris Woakes returning from injury and players like Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue, and Sam Cook lacking experience. The latter was unable to make the starting XI, as Carse, Tongue, and Woakes were the three specialist seamers.

Tongue was the most effective of the bowlers, ending with match scores of 7/158. Carse took one wicket in the first innings, three in the second. Meanwhile, Woakes was not at his best, taking only one wicket after bowling 43 overs in two innings.

Meanwhile, all eyes will be on Ben Duckett as far as the batting department is concerned. The opening batter was the Player of the Match in the first Test, scoring 62 in the first innings and 149 in the second. The likes of Ollie Pope, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, and Jamie Smith also scored important runs to help England register a memorable win.

India would look to come back strongly in the series, but beating a well-settled England side won’t be an easy task for Shubman and Co.