Nasser Hussain Explains Why Ben Stokes Is Not 'Best Friends' With Jofra Archer
Former England skipper Nasser Hussain came up with an interesting take on the captain-bowler relationship shared by Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer. For Hussain, while Stokes stands firmly behind Archer and provides him all the on-field support, he is not the speedster's 'best friend'. It's an equation, the leading commentator believes, that works best for England as Stokes can extract the maximum value out of his premier quick.
'I like him. I like the fact that Ben knows what makes Jofra Archer tick. There's a huge amount of respect between the two of them and I said to you in the other game. At Lord's, exactly the same happened," Hussain said on Sky Sports amidst Archer's strong performances since his comeback to the Test side under Stokes' captaincy in the ongoing Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy against India.
'Stokes has that mentality, 'I am your friend and I'll look after you, but I am not your best friend'. If you don't quite get it right, I will have a word with you. Even here, you see, he is having a word with him, but in a nice way. I think you know your premier fast bowlers, you know your cricketers. You know what makes them tick."
'You'd have had Anderson and Broad. You'll know what to do with Anderson and you might have to do something different to Broad. You play one off against the other. He'll know what will make Archer tick and I think Archer is a better bowler when he is a little fired up and his legs start pumping a little bit."
Four years since a series of injuries engulfed the most promising young seamer and reduced him to a limited-overs weapon, Archer made a valiant return to the Test side at Lord's. He unleashed his wrath on the Indian batters with great pace and hostility, bagging figures of 2 for 52 and 3 for 55 in a magnificent victory.
Archer provided critical blows, including the in-form Rishabh Pant for just 9 at the start of Day 5, as England defended the target of 193 and took a 2-1 lead heading into the fourth Test. At Old Trafford, even as India came out with a spirited draw, Archer looked the most threatening English seamer on display, taking 3 for 73 in the first innings.
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