Jofra Archer's return gives England a headache with India series on the line

The Guardian

2 days ago

Tradition usually dictates that after a batting lineup fails in the manner that England's largely did on a flat one at Edgbaston – four ducks among the top six, just two men passing 50, 157.4 overs batted to India's 234 – a bowler or two must pay the price.
Given the short turnaround, and with admittedly some merit after shipping over 1,000 runs in a home Test for just the second time in history, this will come to pass at Lord's on Thursday. All signs point to Jofra Archer's return. A risk? Undoubtedly. After four years of injury struggles and a slow burn of a comeback in the white-ball formats, a mere 18 overs of priming in county cricket feels instinctively skinny.
But it is a risk England can scarcely afford not to take given the swing in momentum that has occurred this past week. Much like the Steve Smith conundrum during Archer's debut series six years ago, Shubman Gill's Bradman-esque start to this series demands a fresh line of attack. Oh, and Jasprit Bumrah is about to augment an Indian bowling unit that outshone their hosts, not least when the Dukes ball was new.
Who makes way is the question. Provided the medical staff can sufficiently patch him up in time, Chris Woakes should stay put. Had a couple of umpire's calls gone his way on the first morning, he could have easily walked off at stumps, setting the match on a different course. His record at Lord's is impressive, too, with 32 wickets at 13.92 runs apiece and an unbeaten 137 against India in 2018.
At 36 years old, and with the successes of last winter only mildly offsetting a poor record overseas, Woakes is clearly not a long-term investment. But there is a major series on the line at 1-1 and his understudy, Sam Cook, would lengthen the tail.
This leaves England with a likely choice between omitting Brydon Carse, spiteful but still battling toe issues, or Josh Tongue, a fast swing bowler too often used as a siege weapon. England will be tempted by a return for Gus Atkinson that leads to both dropping out but, despite his excellence at Lord's last summer, he has not played since May.
Beyond the various possible bowling combinations, though, there is a legitimate question to be asked as to whether that traditional response to defeat should be flipped and see the batting refreshed. And it is here where England's thoughts should turn to another son of Barbados in Jacob Bethell: a 21-year-old batter without a professional century, granted, but a talent about whom there appears very little doubt.
Bethell's retention felt a given at the end of the win in New Zealand late last year, with Brendon McCullum, the head coach, hinting heavily at this with gooey eyes following an impressive start to his Test career. It was not just the left-hander's three half-centuries, including a near-miss 96 in Wellington, but rather the ice running through his veins; a simple yet secure backfoot technique that looked made for the top level.
So what changed? Before his debut in Christchurch, Bethell had been picked up in the Indian Premier League auction and with the tournament's primacy apparently enshrined by all cricket boards – a different debate – England promised to make their players available for the duration. It meant Bethell had to miss the Zimbabwe Test – those who say he chose to do so are mistaken – with Ollie Pope restored to the No 3 position.
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Had Pope failed at Trent Bridge, the die would probably have been cast. But instead he forced what appeared a rethink with 171 in that low-key match (even if Ben Stokes tried to frame it otherwise afterwards). And having done so, England's vice-captain backed it up with a pretty sublime 106 at Headingley, walking out at four for one and playing with such impressive clarity amid something of an onslaught from the mighty Bumrah.
It felt like a corner turned. But rather than triggering a purple patch, Pope has since only furthered concerns about his ability to be a steadying presence in a big series. After his overnight 100 was cut short the next day in Leeds – itself a mis-step in what is a series for hungry hippos – scores of eight, nought and 24 have followed. Akash Deep exploited a crooked, tense defence on Sunday following a frantic time of it the evening before.
The alternative is Bethell in for Zak Crawley and after Edgbaston the opener could hardly feel aggrieved. Two footwork-devoid scores of 19 and nought, plus a clanger of a drop off Rishabh Pant, was the latest downturn in a wildly lurching career. Thing is, that little-and-large partnership with Ben Duckett is a functioning part of the side overall. Since coming together in 2022, no active opening pair has passed 50 more consistently.
However, there is little to suggest that England are mulling a change in the top three. As shown by Gill being player of the match at Edgbaston, when Deep's 10-wicket haul was arguably the true difference between victory and a draw, it remains a batter's game.