Jofra Archer: Why England are pinning their hopes on their returning fast bowler
The 18 overs he bowled in that County Championship fixture last month represent the 30-year-old's only involvement in red-ball cricket in more than four years, but England hope he will reinvigorate what has largely been a limp and blunt bowling attack.
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The five-Test series against India is at a critical juncture, locked at 1-1 after the visitors' emphatic 336-run victory at Edgbaston.
Another bowler with an equivalent record would likely not be considered for the third Test at Lord's, which starts tomorrow (Thursday), but Archer has been picked in place of Josh Tongue.
So what makes Archer so special? And why are England pinning so much hope on his return? Let The Athletic explain.
Archer burst onto the scene with Sussex, and in a breakthrough year in 2018, he was bought by Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for £800,000 (nearly $1.1million).
With excitement growing over his pace and death-bowling abilities in the crucial latter stages of an innings — ramped up after a final-over hat-trick against Middlesex in the Twenty20 Blast — England fast-tracked him.
Archer was born in Barbados and qualified for England after seven years of residency in 2019. Within months, he had made his one-day and Twenty20 international debuts, starred in the World Cup final, and had taken the fight to Australia in Test matches.
In the 50-over World Cup final against New Zealand at Lord's, he was entrusted to bowl the 'Super Over' — a six-ball eliminator used as a tie-breaker in the rare case the scores are tied — and helped England squeeze home by the barest of margins. He was also named in the team of the tournament.
Then came the Ashes, the historic and prestigious series against old rivals Australia, that same summer, and he left his mark again.
An electric Ashes debut was exemplified by his eye-catching battle with star Australian batter Steve Smith.
In a fearsome spell of bowling, which saw him ramp up his pace to more than 95mph at points, he struck Smith on the body and glove, leaving one of the world's most accomplished batters hopping around desperately.
One short-pitched delivery struck Smith on the neck, flooring him, eventually leading to his withdrawal with concussion and a hospital trip. Thankfully, the Australian was OK, but Archer had served notice of what he could do.
Jofra Archer v Steve Smith
A legendary Ashes battle 🔥
'The Test: A New Era For Australia's Team' is available now on #PrimeVideo pic.twitter.com/7sdfbZGJkF
— Amazon Prime Video Sport (@primevideosport) March 12, 2020
Thirteen Tests is a small sample size, especially with the last of those coming back in February 2021, but his record in the longest format is solid.
He has 42 wickets at a reasonable average of 31.04, though Mark Wood (30.42), Matthew Potts (29.44), and Gus Atkinson (22.30) have better.
But the numbers do not paint a true picture of his threat and potency. There remains a sense that his Test record does not do justice to his rare gift of bowling above 90mph with accuracy.
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Quite simply, injuries. His significant workload after he arrived in international cricket and the IPL soon caught up with him.
Two operations for an elbow injury in 2021 kept him out for around a year, with stress fractures in his back and right elbow preventing his Test return until now.
Express pace, but not only that.
Archer combines the pace of Wood with the accuracy and seam movement of Chris Woakes and the bounce of Josh Tongue, plus unique and genuine skill.
Beyond that, he has pure X-factor vibes and a wicket-taking aura.
'White ball cricket this summer, Test cricket next year.' 🤞
Rob Key reveals comeback plan for Jofra Archer 🔋🏴 pic.twitter.com/jYx5bFtVef
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) April 5, 2024
With Wood, one of the only other players capable of breaking cricket's final frontier of the 100mph barrier, also struggling to stay fully fit, Archer's presence is highly valuable.
Without doubt. Can he display the physical endurance which might be needed as England try to break down India's obdurate top order on long, sunny days? Can he combine those short, sharp bowling spells with long stints in the field?
England believe the potential rewards outweigh the risks. It's not hard to see why.
Frankly, no, given basically the entire England attack needs a rest.
Essex's Sam Cook proved on his Test debut against Zimbabwe that he is more of a medium-fast bowler, Wood and Atkinson have had injury issues, and Jamie Overton has only played one Test after struggling with injuries, hence the rush for Archer.
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