Ben Stokes has revealed that Sussex CCC star Jofra Archer is still “very interested” in playing Test cricket.

The fast bowler has extended his central contract with England along with the likes of Brydon Carse and Matthew Potts.

Archer, 29, is now tied to England until September 2026, which will take him into account for the Ashes series in Australia next winter.

Archer has not played a Test match since 2021 due to injury.

He has since been carefully managed by England and has appeared in white-ball internationals this year.

He signed up for the IPL after Rajasthan Royals picked up at the auction.

This is set to limit his exposure to red-ball cricket due to the overlap between the season with the County Championship.

England Test captain Stokes has insisted that Archer is still keen to return to the team.

He said: “The excitement around Jofra is understandable.

“The best thing is he is back on the field playing.

“The injuries and surgeries he has gone through could have ended careers so there is no rushing back.

“Jof is a man of few words, even over WhatsApp.

“I had one a couple of months ago saying ‘Zimabwbe?’. That shows he is very interested in playing Test cricket for England.”

Stokes has also admitted that Archer will need to continue working hard in order to get his fitness ready for a Test.

He added: “He is being handled very well by the ECB and that will certainly continue.

“There is no doubt he is going so well at the moment it is a case of having to build the body up to handle extra pressure of Test match cricket.”