2 HOT TO HANDLE

Jof & Wood on fire

ENGLAND are aiming to pile on the agony for Australia with a knockout punch at the Ageas Bowl today after softening them up with extreme pace.

Friday night was a victorious fight night as Jofra Archer and Mark Wood landed telling blows on the tourists after Adil Rashid had created the opening, to go 1-0 up with two to play.

The pair operated consistently between 90 and 95mph.

And even though David Warner and Aaron Finch handled the opening bursts well, even they didn’t look in total control against the flying ball.

“It looked quick,” said death-bowling hero Chris Jordan.

“You only had to see how the Aussie batters were reacting to the ball, messing up their feet movement. It is just a pleasure to have both of them consistently above 90.

“Woody and Jof started really coming hard at the Aussies and they shifted the momentum back in our favour.” Archer

FAST SHOW: Jordan (above) loves playing with speed merchants Archer (left) and Wood looked like he enjoyed the game more than any other this summer, perhaps down to the fact that he was playing with his mate Jordan for the first time. “The biggest thing for me was the amount Jofra was smiling,” said Jordan. “I asked whether he could touch 95.”

Jordan played his part, combining with Tom Curran in the final three overs to deny Australia a game they should have put to bed with ease. Now just four wickets away from overtaking Stuart Broad as England’s most successful T20 bowler, Jordan was touched to hear skipper Eoin Morgan describe him as “one of our greatest ever bowlers”.

“It’s nice to have him say such kind words about me,” he said. Meanwhile, exEngland hero Ian Bell has said he will retire at the end of 2020 season.