JOF TO A FLIER
Archer & Wood put on fast show to blow away India in the opener
JOFRA ARCHER and Mark Wood cranked up the speed as England crushed India under the weight of extreme pace and dominant batting.
An eight-wicket thrashing with 27 balls to spare in the first T20 was about as brutal a performance as you are likely to find.
Everything Eoin Morgan asked of his team was delivered and his hope will be that, unlike the Test side, the best performance of the series has not come and gone in the opening match.
It may be pretty hard to produce a better display than this, built on brilliance with the ball and in the field to restrict India to 124-7. England followed up with a return to form for Jason Roy, who made 49 from 32 balls.
Archer’s 3-23, his best yet in this format, again illustrated just how important he is to every single England team.
“When the competition is tough you have to step up, and usually that competition brings out the best in me,” he said.
“It helps to start well. I try and go for dot balls in the powerplay and if I get a wicket then that’s a bonus for the team.”
But he was far from alone in producing a big performance with Adil Rashid, Wood and Roy making telling contributions.
“Jofra is excellent and our bowling unit has a lot of competition for places,” said Morgan.
“Mark Wood’s super strength is he can bowl fast and when he does, as he did tonight, it’s great entertainment and lovely to have him on your team.
“When Jason scores runs and does well in the fashion he does it really gees the boys up.”
For the first time in his career Rashid sent down the first over of a T20 match and in his second he snaffled the prized wicket of Virat Kohli for a duck, caught at mid-off.
Operating around 90mph, Archer had KL Rahul chopping on to his stumps to get England going before Rishabh Pant (left) moved across his stumps and reverse ramped him all the way for six. It was box office entertainment for 67,200 spectators who provided a cracking atmosphere even if many saw using masks as an optional extra. From 20-3 when Wood bowled Shikhar Dhawan, India recovered thanks to 67 from Shreyas Iyer. But he had little support and England were set a low total t o chase.
Roy and
Jos Buttler made 72 for the first wicket to put the game beyond doubt well before an end that came with Dawid Malan’s six.
“It was a below-par batting performance by us and England made us pay,” said India skipper Kohli.