Absolutely ridiculous that Jofra Archer can miss an England Test for IPL: Mark Butcher

Former England batter Mark Butcher has come out with scathing criticism of Jofra Archer after his absence from the England squad for the first Test against New Zealand on June 4. 

The ECB named a 15-member squad for the game at Lord’s, of which Archer is not a part. England Men’s Managing Director Rob Key stated to the media that Archer was being rested to manage his workload following his return from the IPL. 

Butcher expressed vocal criticism of this decision, lashing out at Archer for being a centrally contracted cricketer but still missing his country’s games for the IPL.

"It baffles me, it really does. The central contracts are worth an enormous amount of money on their own, before you add in match fees, let alone someone who plays in all three formats and the rest of it. I just think there is absolutely no reason why he shouldn’t be playing,” said Butcher, speaking on the Wisden Cricket Weekly podcast.

"For managing his workload, it should be the other way around. He should be being pulled out of the IPL games, or games representing people who are not contracting him, by the people who are contracting him, rather than resting him from his main employer to go and play in a tournament overseas. I don’t get it and I don’t think I ever will. He should be in the squad and he should be playing,” he added.

He questioned the reasons for Archer missing games with England in favour of the IPL due to the two-year ban the IPL imposes on players who do not honour their contracts and pull out of the tournament earlier. Harry Brook and Ben Duckett pulled out of deals with the Delhi Capitals in 2025 and 2026, respectively, which has led to a two-year ban on both.

"If you put yourself in to go in the IPL and you pull out then you get a two-year ban from the IPL, that’s only a problem for Jofra Archer, that’s not a problem for England. What’s the point of giving somebody a two-year contract and then allowing them to not honour that contract and play for somebody else," he asked.

'Find it absolutely ridiculous' - Butcher on Archer missing the first Test

Butcher further opined that it should be easier for an English centrally contracted player to forego an IPL deal due to the pay grade for English players. He referred to circumstantial examples like Heinrich Klaasen, who retired from international cricket to pursue franchise cricket opportunities.

"If your basic [salary], as an England contracted player before you step on the park, is upwards of half a million quid, and your selection in IPLs or whatever it might be can be extremely fickle, wouldn’t you have thought that you were better off honouring the larger chunk that you would be getting from playing for your country? Not all other countries are like this, the reason why people like Heinrich Klaasen and countless other players ditched their international sides is because they don’t get paid very well to do it, and it takes them away from home forever. But for England players, that is patently not the case. I find it absolutely ridiculous that you can be rested from an England Test match because you’ve been playing in the IPL. I’m sure I’m not on my own,” he stated.

Archer returned to action in Test cricket against India in the 2025 series, before playing three Tests in the 2025-26 Ashes in Australia. He missed the final two Tests due to a side strain.