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Lord’s Test: England upbeat after Archer boost
The 30-year-old fast bowler will end his 4.5-year hiatus from Test cricket in the third Test beginning Thursday
New Delhi: England captain Ben Stokes is not looking to confine comeback man Jofra Archer to four-five over spells as the pacer returns to the Test team after four and a half years. Archer was included in the squad for the Edgbaston Test but he did not make the playing XI. He, however, made the cut at the expense of Josh Tongue for the third Test that begins at Lord’s on Thursday.
Whether Stokes is looking to ease Archer in on his return and keep an eye on his fitness is a call he will take on the field, the English captain said on the match eve.
“That’ll be a call made in the moment, as it is with anyone. If someone’s looking dangerous, you might give them an extra over or two. But there are no set plans or restrictions — certainly not limiting him to four or five-over spells. We’ll see how it plays out on the day,” Stokes said.
Archer has had to deal with recurring elbow and lower back injuries that sidelined him in this format. He first picked up the elbow injury in January 2020 and underwent two surgeries in 2021. He then had a lower back stress fracture in May 2022, further delaying his comeback. However, there is an air of excitement as the 30-year-old returns.
“It is really exciting. I think it’s great for English fans, but also for Jofra. It’s been a long time coming for him. I think the way in which he’s handled the injury setbacks over that period, it’s been very commendable. And then the way in which he’s got himself back onto the field and playing cricket over a long period of time now,” said Stokes.
“I think Jof’s going to be pretty proud of himself that he’s managed to get himself back here after two pretty big injury scares,” he added.
Although India vice-captain Rishabh Pant said he doesn’t tailor his game according to specific individuals, he commented on Archer’s return saying, “It’s going to be a good contest because he is also coming back after a long time. I am happy he is back.”
Both Stokes and Pant echoed the sentiments about the Dukes ball after Shubman Gill spoke out about the game losing its essence because of the ball losing its shape after the Edgbaston Test.
“It’s a big problem because the ball is getting out of shape. At the same time, it’s not up to us. Visually, you can see it’s getting de-shaped but unless the rules change, players can’t do much,” said Pant. “I think the ring can be the same but the ball is getting de-shaped too much. It has never happened before.”
“It is irritating to players because when the ball softens, it’s not doing much, when you take a new ball, it is doing enough. So as batters, you’ve got to keep adjusting to it but, it’s not good for cricket eventually,” he added.
Meanwhile Stokes said, “Whenever we have touring teams come here, there is an issue around the balls going soft, going out of shape. I don’t even think that the rings that we use are Dukes rings. Something that is not ideal but yeah, you have got to deal with it.”
“If you feel that the ball has gone out of shape, then you are going to check it with the umpire and if it goes through the rings, it goes through the rings and you crack on and then hopefully, eventually, it gets that badly out of shape that you are able to change it,” Stokes added.
“But yeah, everyone, the bowling team, seemed to struggle with it. It seemed like a big issue last week at Edgbaston. But yeah, it is what it is. If it fits through, we keep going. If it doesn’t, then we get a new one.”
