FOR THE VERY BEST CRICKET COVERAGE
Nasser Hussain
Paul Newman
Lawrence Booth
AS Jofra archer lined up for the national anthems, he allowed himself a quick joke with Ben Stokes and adil rashid, then soaked up the scene. on the morning of england’s latest must- win World cup game, he was having the time of his life.
If the best players regard pressure as a stimulus not a hindrance, the evidence is that archer is made of whatever it is the pros identify as the right stuff.
and together with Mark Wood, he has helped english cricket fall in love again with fast bowling — a relationship so on- off down the years that both sides have been tempted to sue for divorce. Thrillingly, he has helped his side into a World cup semi-final.
There is a frisson when archer runs in to bowl, followed by an instinctive glance at the speedgun.
You dare not look away, partly because you sense he can always crank it up even further when the mood takes him.
Batsmen know this, and the sight of world- class cricketers whipping their heads out of the way as another archer bouncer threatens to acquaint itself with a nose, has been one of the features of the tournament.
It’s not as if he has sacrificed accuracy for speed, either. among england’s bowlers, only Stokes has a lower economy rate in the World cup than his 4.78. The combination is lethal.
When archer (right) had New Zealand opener Martin Guptill brilliantly caught behind down the leg side by Jos Buttler, diving at full stretch to intercept a ball that seemed certain to fly past him, it was his 17th wicket of this tournament — a World cup record for an england bowler.
The previous holder was Ian Botham, another cricketer who made a habit of imposing himself when it mattered. Despite being on the verge of retirement, he burgled 16 wickets in 1992 to
help england to the most recent of their three World cup finals, where they lost to Pakistan. Botham’s haul included Sachin Tendulkar, Saleem Malik, allan Border, Kepler Wessels and Imran Khan. archer’s list of prominent names has not been quite as glittering — the likes of faf du Plessis, Nicholas Pooran, Dimuth Karunaratne, aaron finch and Guptill. But 13 of his 17 victims have been dismissed for fewer than 20, and his impact has not been limited to wickets. In england’s first game, archer forced South africa opener hashim amla off the field with a blow to the helmet. It reverberated through the visitors’ dressing room, and possibly the entire tournament. he then advertised his slippery pace, cruising in against Bangladesh at cardiff with the help of a minor gale to register 95mph. When he bowled Soumya Sarkar, the ball ricocheted on the full over the boundary towards the river Taff — a contender for the World cup’ s champagne moment. Six days later against West Indies, archer hurried chris Gayle, then wrapped up the tail — just as West Indian bowlers once did against england.
archer has not had everything his own way. he mislaid his rhythm in the defeat by Pakistan, going for 79 in his 10 overs, and was too short with the new ball against australia at Lord’s, when conditions cried out for a fuller length.
But against India and New Zealand, archer played a critical role as eoin Morgan’s men set about defending big totals.
against India, he overcame the disappointment of seeing Joe root drop rohit Sharma on four at second slip, and with Woakes limited the 10-over score to 28 for one. That left India effectively chasing 310 in 40 overs, a near impossibility on a deteriorating pitch.
against New Zealand, his first four overs cost just seven, preventing the flyer that might have put england on the back foot.
Kane Williamson and ross Taylor, two of the best batsmen in New Zealand’s history, looked ruffled by his pace. he finished with figures of 7-1-17-1.
‘he’s a very nice bowler in terms of being easy on the eye,’ said Williamson. ‘When you’re at the other end it’s challenging. he ambles in, then there’s a nice snap of the wrist and he generates really good pace. Without a doubt, he’s a great addition to england in this tournament.’
The burgeoning bromance these past few weeks between archer and Wood has centred on endless banter about who is the faster.
But the more serious partnership has been between archer and Woakes, one of them threatening the sound barrier, the other landing it on a sixpence. ‘In the last two games, our opening bowling has been brilliant,’ said Morgan.
Two more games of the same, and he may even be lifting the World cup.