Jofra’s new-ball threat and skill in death overs are just what’s needed
The good news for england fans is that Jofra Archer is back from injury after a year which left him wondering how much more uncertainty he could take.
Rob Key and the management are taking a softly-softly approach as they try to get him ready for the T20 World Cup in June — and they are doing absolutely the right thing. We’re used to seeing cricketers have good days and bad days on the field, but what we don’t see are the ups and downs off the pitch; the X-rays, the operations, the rehab, the mental stresses and strains that are part of a long-term injury like the one Jofra has had with his right elbow. he spoke recently about being unsure he had another ‘stop-start’ year in him, but Key knows his value. even when Archer returned briefly from injury in South Africa a year ago, he took six for 40 in a one-day game at Kimberley. he then went to Bangladesh and took three for 13 in a T20 game. he’s so valuable to england’s chances.
Like India’s Jasprit Bumrah, Archer is an incredibly skilled multi-phase bowler. he can take the new ball, break partnerships in the middle overs, then come back at the death. It’s why he leapfrogged David Willey into the 2019 World Cup squad and why eoin Morgan entrusted him with the Super Over in the final against New Zealand. Fingers crossed he can stay fit this time. The one guy who will be a bit disappointed with the selection is Chris Woakes, but they’ve gone with the extra batting option in Ben Duckett and I can see the logic. With Ben Stokes making himself unavailable, this line-up is short on left-handers, and Duckett is a very good player of spin — which, as we saw from england’s series in the Caribbean before Christmas, is a big part of the game there these days. There’s also the chance Jos Buttler will miss a game or two during the four-match series against Pakistan at the end of this month because of the birth of his third child, so an extra batting option helps. Jonny Bairstow cemented his place with a timely hundred for Punjab Kings in the IPL on Sunday, but if he comes in at No 4 behind Buttler, Phil Salt and Will Jacks, he’ll be playing slightly out of position. Only 18 of his 64 T20 international innings have come in that position, and he hasn’t batted there for england since the summer of 2022. Bairstow is a fine player of slow bowling, but starting against spin is a different proposition to batting against it with your eye in after the powerplay.
It’s going to be an important tournament for Buttler and coach Matthew Mott after what happened at the 50-over World Cup in India. It sounds like Buttler is expecting to keep wicket, which will leave him with a lot on his plate — especially if he has to dash 30 or 40 yards to talk to Mark Wood while the ICC’s new stop-clock is ticking away in a bid to sort out over rates.
But he and Mott have a T20 World Cup under their belt and england have packed their team with sixhitters. The impact-sub rule at the IPL has allowed teams to swing from the hip, but teams at the World Cup won’t have that luxury. It may be that the totals of 270 we’re seeing in India come down by as much as 100 in the West Indies. Big hitting will still be important, but so will smart cricket.