How did Archer fare on his red-ball return?
The moments of encouragement
It was national selector Luke Wright who said at the start of June that Archer could be available for the second India Test, suggesting he is in England's thoughts for this summer, nevermind a potentially box-office reunion against Australia in the Ashes in the winter.He did not take the new ball for Durham, instead replacing another former England Test bowler in Ollie Robinson after six overs, with Durham 9-0.From his first delivery - with England bowling coach Neil Killeen in attendance - Archer appealed for caught behind down the leg side but the umpire was unmoved.While Archer's opening spell of four wicketless overs for 11 runs was accurate, it was a pacey second spell 45 minutes after lunch that caught the eye.Archer had Durham left-hander Gay fending from in front of his helmet on a slow pitch, another lively bouncer followed to Will Rhodes in his next over and in his third he had a loud lbw appeal against Gay turned down.Archer, who was the quickest bowler on show in a match that also featured Robinson, Durham's England bowler Matthew Potts and Australia international Gurinder Sandhu, would not be denied. He went fuller to Gay from round the wicket with the second ball of his next over, found a hint of inswing and trapped the Durham opener in front.After the umpire's finger was raised, Archer celebrated with a beaming smile - the wicket his first in whites since he dismissed Jordan Cox in a match against Kent on 14 May 2021.He continued for a further two overs and was cruising to the crease by the end.When he beat right-hander Colin Ackermann outside off stump he bent double in frustration mid-pitch. It was the final ball of an impressive six-over spell.
The room for improvement
Still, this was never likely to be a day in which Archer blew away a batting line-up to stake a claim for a Test place.This round of County Championship matches is also being played with a Kookaburra ball - the make used in Australia that typically swings less than the England-made Dukes - and the pitch was slow, while strong gusts of wind blew across the ground for much of a cool day.It made conditions less than ideal for fast or swing bowling.Archer has also not bowled more than 10 overs in a match since May 2021, given he has only played limited-overs cricket as his injuries were managed.With 10 in the legs across his first two spells, he came back for a further spell after tea and returned figures of 0-9 from four overs with one maiden - his sixth maiden overall.His second delivery was edged agonisingly short of wicketkeeper John Simpson but his final effort lacked the bite of what had come before.With Durham ending the day 249-5, how Archer recovers and bowls across the final two days will help determine how ready he is for a Test return.
What did Archer think?
Archer's elbow injuries, which have required multiple surgeries, and a stress fracture in his back have been the paceman's most significant problems during his red-ball absence.But, speaking after play, he said those issues now "looked fine"."Now I know my body can hold up to it, the mental part of the game [is a greater issue]," he told BBC Radio Sussex."Over the next couple of days I'm going to have a battle with it. It's all good. I'll keep trucking along."When the scoreboard got to 50 overs I was like, 'It's time to come off now' but we got to the end of day and it wasn't that bad."It was OK. The pitch didn't do much. When the ball is moving around it feels a bit more exciting."Asked if he felt ready to return to Test cricket, a typically relaxed Archer said: "I guess so. "I just want to get through the game. I'm glad I've finished a day of four-day cricket."
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