EXCLUSIVE

Windies do not dread Jofra pace

ARCHER: Too familiar

JOFRA ARCHER has been told he will not be able to use the fear factor on the West Indies batsmen because they know him so well.

Just a few years ago, Archer was taking aim at the Windies batsmen as a net bowler in his native Barbados before making his breakthrough with Sussex and in T20 leagues around the world.

And former Windies batting coach Toby Radford believes that familiarity will mean Archer will be respected rather than feared for his express pace.

The three-Test series starts at the Ageas Bowl tomorrow and Radford, who spent nine years working for Windies Cricket, said: “Some teams will come here and face Archer thinking, ‘oh, a 95mph bowler, a world-class quick’ and there would be a bit of anxiety.

“But these lads have played him, they know him and grown up with him so I don’t think there will be a fear factor.

“I remember at a Test match in Barbados where Archer was bowling to us in the week before as a warm-up bowler – and it wasn’t that long ago.

“I didn’t know who he was at the time but I thought, ‘this lad can bowl’. He was quick without too much effort and the ball was thudding into the net like a bowling machine turned up. It was very smooth and he stood out as a quality bowler.”

And Radford, who is back in the UK helping with the ECB’s coach programmes, added: “He will be a challenge to face, there’s no doubting that, but it is a different mindset. They will respect him but I don’t think they will fear him.”

RADFORD: Warning

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