England’s Ashes bid is cooked
FORMER Australia captain Michael Clarke says England’s Ashes hopes this winter are “cooked” after Jofra Archer was KO’d.
The pace ace will miss the rest of the year, including the T20 World Cup in the UAE and The Ashes Down Under, after a recurrence of the stress fracture in his right elbow that first surfaced during the Test series in South Africa at the start of last year.
The hammer blow for
Joe Root’s men came just days after talismanic all-rounder Ben Stokes took an indefinite break from cricket to look after his mental wellbeing and rest the injured index finger he fractured earlier in the year.
While it is hoped Stokes will be back for the winter, Archer’s absence looks likely to have a huge bearing on England’s Ashes series that starts in Brisbane on December 8. The 26-year-old was the star of the drawn 2019 Ashes series in England, hitting 96.7 miles per hour and concussing Steve
Smith during a spectacular Test debut at Lord’s.
Now Clarke (above), who captained Australia to a 5-0 Ashes whitewash against England in the winter of 2013-14, said: “England cannot beat Australia in Australia without Jofra Archer.
“No Ben Stokes either, they’re cooked. Their batting is not that good.
“Archer is their fear factor. Without him, I think they’re cooked.”
Australia are not in great shape themselves having not played a single Test since their 2-1 home series defeat by India in January.
But Clarke added: “Our quicks plus our spinner Nathan Lyon should perform better than they did against India.
“The batting is another year older and another year wiser.
“I think you’ll see a better Aussie team in The Ashes.”