MOMENT OF TRUTH

Illness-hit Archer & Broad urged to be honest about fitness for first Test

ENGLAND will ask Stuart Broad and Jofra Archer to make an “honesty call” about their fitness for the Boxing Day Test against South Africa.

Both men have been struck down by illness on the first week on tour and head into the series opener having sat out all five days of warm-up cricket, which concluded three hours ahead of time yesterday with early handshakes in a low-key draw with South Africa A.

Spinner Jack Leach is similarly undercooked but looks set to miss out anyway, with England seemingly ready to rely on the part-time spin of captain Joe Root and Joe Denly.

The question of what to do with Broad and Archer is considerably thornier, with both first-choice selections at full power.

Broad is understood to have progressed best over the past couple of days, during which all three players have made gentle returns to the nets, and took part in the longest practice session yesterday. The case for Archer is less clear-cut. England would dearly love to use his express pace and star quality at Supersport Park but he has been hit hard by the bug and, with just six Test and 35 firstclass matches under his belt, may be less certain about what he can put himself through.

Root said: “It’s a tricky one. They will do everything they can to be ready and that’s all you can ask.

“You want to make sure they can really let themselves go and get through 20 overs in a day, 25 if they absolutely had to. It’s a case of making an honesty call.

“You don’t want to let the rest of the guys down. You don’t want to say you’re fit to play if you’re not, then pull up and put the workload on the rest of the team.”

The third and final day of England’s game against South Africa A ended early as the teams agreed to call time at 2pm.

Keegan Petersen was last man out for 111 in a score of 3255. James Anderson was again the pick of the attack, finishing with 3-41 in 19 overs as he prepares to return to the Test arena after five months out.