JOFRA BY A

GIVEN the tragedy which befell Phillip Hughes it was no surprise that the immediate Australian reaction to the awful blow to Steve Smith’s neck was so raw and instinctive.

What was also unsurprising was that much of that outrage was directed at Jofra Archer for supposedly not showing a reasonable amount of concern after Smith was dropped with a sickening blow.

But if there was one reaction that was out of order yesterday it was the minority of morons who booed Smith from the field as he was walked off.

And you can add to them the significantly bigger minority who booed him back on when he showed great courage to return to the middle when the next wicket fell.

The debate over a fast bowler’s duty of care to the target of his venom will perhaps never be settled satisfactorily. And it is complex enough to excuse Archer.

For the record he did turn on his heel before returning towards Smith and receiving news that the batsman was at the very least conscious.

Yet the debate about whether Smith should have been booed for going back out into a second potential 90mph barrage after the first had left him fearing g a broken arm and might well have killed him is clear cut.

Smith has

made

mistakes and the roots of the reaction of crowds after the sandpaper scandal in Cape Town last year run understandably deep.

But if he has been responsible for dragging cricket through the gutter he has also been responsible for elevating it to a higher plane.

For that and his courage yesterday in giving this crowd a memory to cherish, he should be applauded. Those who cannot bring themselves to do that can keep quiet.

on Steve Smith is hit

and the neck (above), lies on the deck after a delivery

(right)

BLACK AND BLUE

RAW pace from Jofra Archer and raw courage from Steve Smith lit up The Ashes series yesterday on a day of fiery cricket at Lord’s.

Smith was struck on the arm and neck by two 90mph-plus deliveries, left poleaxed on the ground by the second one.

The Australian still managed to score a brilliant 92 as a thrilling second Test is in the balance going into the final day with England 104 runs ahead with six second innings wickets in hand. “You w want Ashes cricket to be played hard, but you don’t wish injury t to fellow players,” said Chris Woakes Woakes, who dismissed the Aussie.

“It to took a serious spell of bowling to rattle Smith a bit. It was serious pace from fro Jofra. It was incredible to watch a and be a part of.

“Tha Thankfully we saw Steve on the balcony and it seems he is OK.

“For S Steve to come back out after the way he was hit shows courage and character. c He has been incredib incredible in the series and it was great to get him out. But you don’t want anyone to be hurt. You are immediately worried as a player when an incident happens.

“I have never seen a quicker spell than Jofra’s today. That was a prolonged spell of fast bowling.

“With the atmosphere in the crowd you can tell it was pretty special. You get a feel for it. The crowd were behind every ball. It is special to have someone who can bowl that pace. It is important for any team. To be able to do that on Test debut is so exciting.”

The drama was spellbinding as Smith, the finest batsman in the