No Test place for Archer
England have named their team for today’s first Ashes Test, with no place for Jofra Archer. The Barbados-born paceman received his maiden call-up for the series opener following his crucial role in England’s World Cup win but must wait for his chance to play.
He joins all-rounder Sam Curran and fellow quickie Olly Stone in missing out, with senior seamers James Anderson and Stuart Broad joined by Chris Woakes in the XI.
The top seven had already been settled, with the news that captain Joe Root had asked for a return to the problematic No. 3 slot also removing any questions over the batting order.
That means the decision to delay Archer’s introduction to the red-ball format will garner most of the attention. The side injury he picked up in the World Cup was originally expected
to keep him sidelined for at least a couple of weeks, but he made a sooner-than-expected return for Sussex last week.
England responded by drafting him into a squad packed with fastbowling options. In the end they have treated him with caution, retaining the Broad and Woakes axis which skittled Ireland out for just 38 in the previous Test and adding in record wicket-taker Anderson, who turned 37 on Tuesday.
Root insists he has confidence in the side named for the first Test at Edgbaston and believes Archer will have a part to play in the series.
“I wouldn’t have named it if I wasn’t confident. We are very excited as a group,” Root said.
“We have a good record here as a team. It’s very important that we are very focused and very clear on how we want to approach this series and that first day in particular. We feel confident this group of players is more than capable of winning this Test match.
“Jofra is coming back from quite a serious injury. We looked at conditions and made a decision on what we thought would best take 20 wickets here.
“It also gives him time to get absolutely ready and fit to make sure he has his workloads up and ready to go for later in the series if he needs to make an impact. (His fitness) will be monitored throughout the week. It’s important that he’s ready to go to offer something different.”
The skipper explained his decision to move up the order to bat at No. 3.
“It’s important to spread the experience out and it gives me an opportunity to lead from the front as well,” he said.
“I also feel now that I’m in a place where I have got my head around dealing with the captaincy and batting, being able to separate the two. It’s an opportunity to make an impact up the order.
“No, I’m not (concerned about the top order). I think it’s a very exciting top order. Jason (Roy), I want him to go out and play in his own way and his own manner.
“He has the ability to go out and put any bowler under pressure at any given time. That’s very exciting.”
Root rejected suggestions that there is less pressure on him and England to win the Ashes following their World Cup success.
“I think you speak to anyone that has captained England on the verge of an Ashes series, to say that it doesn’t mean as much as another event, I don’t think any of them would agree,” Root said.