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The workload management of Jofra Archer has again become a topic for discussion. The conversation around the England pacer’s workload management comes under the scanner after Kumar Sangakkara’s comment on Sky Sports during the England vs New Zealand 3rd Test match commentary.
Jofra Archer, who was on fire in the previous Test match of the ongoing three-match Test series, from the very first ball of the innings, has applied a different approach in the third match at Trent Bridge in Nottingham.
Jofra Archer takes a different approach in the 3rd Test vs New Zealand
Instead of maintaining the body line to keep the New Zealand batters constantly under pressure, the fast bowler bowled a few outside the off stump in his first over today. New Zealand skipper and opener Tom Latham faced no difficulties facing Archer in the first over.
As of now, the seamer has delivered 4 overs for an economy rate of 3.75. Why are there differences between the Jofra Archer in the second Test and the Archer in the third Test?
Does IPL cause trouble for the England pacer’s workload?
The former Sri Lanka captain and the head coach of the IPL franchise, Kumar Sangakkara, said that Archer’s bowling could be affected by the heavy workload. The workload of the fast bowler has been under scrutiny since his return with the England national cricket team for the Tests against New Zealand.
While most of the England cricketers chose to skip the Indian Premier League 2026 (IPL 2026) to maintain their focus on their international career, Jofra Archer was an exception who played the entire franchise league with the Rajasthan Royals.
Kumar Sangakkara, who is also the Director of Cricket of the franchise, played a pivotal role in maintaining communication between the Rajasthan Royals and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).
After the conclusion of the IPL 2026 campaign, Sangakkara claimed that the ECB tried to get their premier pacer back as soon as possible, but it was the Royals management who convinced Archer to continue playing in IPL 2026. After representing the Rajasthan Royals in 16 matches, Archer missed the opening match of the three-match Test series against New Zealand.
“There’s misalignment from the three key individuals [Key, Stokes, McCullum] in this England environment!”
Kumar Sangakkara analyses the last couple of weeks for the England Test team 👀🔎 pic.twitter.com/dG5I7QSW61
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) June 25, 2026
Archer came back in action as Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson were ruled out of the match due to a controversial nightclub incident. Archer took 5 wickets in the match in a promising way. As he delivered with pure pace and sheer aggression, expectations were heavy on him in the lead-up to the series decider.
While most of the cricket fans were expecting another flamboyant spell from the 31-year-old, the former Sri Lanka skipper shared different thoughts on air during his commentary work. Shedding a light on Archer’s workload, Kumar Sangakkara expressed some doubts over the seamer’s possible performance at Trent Bridge.
Kumar Sangakkara raises doubts over Jofra Archer’s performance in the third Test
Matt Roller, a senior correspondent of Cricinfo, highlights the comments made by the Sri Lankan cricket legend during the England vs New Zealand third match.
“Jofra Archer’s pace might be down this morning due to his heavy workload at the IPL, suggests, err, Rajasthan Royals DoC Kumar Sangakkara on Sky commentary,” Matt Roller wrote in his ‘X’ post.
Jofra Archer’s pace might be down this morning due to his heavy workload at the IPL, suggests, err, Rajasthan Royals DoC Kumar Sangakkara on Sky commentary
— Matt Roller (@mroller98) June 25, 2026
