Jofra Archer is sporting a smile again as he acknowledges his goals; defeating Australia on Sunday, weather permitting, to wrap up a comeback series win and then facing them again in next year’s Ashes.
Archer, 29, is using the five-match Metro Bank campaign as a building block in his rehabilitation programme towards a Test return following three years of injury heartache and, having played his part in hauling England level at 2-2 with the old enemy on Friday night at Lord’s, is keener than most for the wet weather to abate in Bristol on Sunday morning.
England’s medical team are increasing the Barbados-born fast bowler’s workload incrementally towards the tour down under in 13 months’ time and had planned to field him in the first, third and fifth matches.
However, buoyed by sending down 10 overs in victory in Durham, and knowing this weekend’s forecast, he requested to play at the scene of the dramatic 2019 World Cup final success in which he played such a major hand.
Following figures of two for 33, he beamed: ‘We had to win to keep the series alive and that in itself made it a bit special.
Jofra Archer pictured in action for England during Friday’s ODI win over Australia at Lord’s
‘Sunday is kind of a final. I don’t think anyone wants to miss Lord’s. The physios and medical team gave their opinion but ultimately it’s a group decision and I gave them a little bit of a nudge for this one. I’m just happy playing whatever cricket’s on.
‘I’m still on the park and we’re approaching the end of the summer. So for me, that’s a tick. I wanted to play a summer, and then I want to play a year, and then I want to play a few years. So everything is going to plan.’
The precise planning of Rob Key, England’s managing director, and medical chief Craig de Weymarn is all about making sure one of their prime pace assets peaks from a fitness point of view during the winter of 2025-26, following multiple false starts post stress fractures of the elbow.
‘People have got to understand the severity of his injury. He’s one where it’s been a slow build-up. His body now is resilient for 20-over cricket. It doesn’t sound like a lot, but when you go into 50-over cricket, that’s double the amount – more than that,’ Key told Mail Sport.
Archer bowled seven overs and took two wickets – dismissing Josh Inglis and Glenn Maxwell
‘Again, you’ve got to be careful. He’s got to bowl, but you have to be careful about how he’s doing it. So the next stage if his body is to become resilient is to bowl more in 50-over cricket, so then you’re looking at Champions Trophy.
‘Then, when he’s done that, the next thing is getting him to four-day cricket and Test match cricket. So that’s the progression. Once he gets that resilience to one format, you build him up from there. It would be such a shame if we didn’t see him playing Test cricket (again).’
Archer has taken four wickets in two England wins, the latest by a huge 186-run margin coming after he, Matthew Potts and Brydon Carse out-bowled Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood in seaming conditions.
However, a man who is suddenly a senior in the group – ‘just the other day I was playing warm up football on the young side and a couple of weeks later I’m on the old team,’ he joked – believes performance have been consistent across all four against the world champions.
‘Even in the games we lost, I don’t think we were that far out of it. We lost the key moments, but we were never totally out of it. We have bounced back and hopefully we can go one more,’ he said.
England beat Australia by 186 runs to level the series at 2-2 ahead of Sunday’s decider
It is no coincidence, however, that England’s turnaround has coincided with much better application with the bat. In the opening match in Nottingham, they lost eight wickets for 102 to leave them under-par when 350 had looked on the cards, and in Leeds they plunged to 65 for five inside the power play. Both periods ceded crucial momentum to the Australians.
Harry Brook was involved on each occasion, but his change in tempo has instrumental in change for the better.
England’s stand-in captain finished up with a 58-ball 87 at Lord’s on Friday, exploding into life after making just 20 from his first 22 deliveries. At Chester-le-Street, his maiden one-day hundred made a chase that began with his side slumping to 11 for two a mere trifle.
With wickets in hand, others have been able to put their foot to the floor late on. Most notably, Liam Livingstone, whose unbeaten 62 from 27 left the Australians needing something miraculous.
Brook’s will need something equally miraculous from the weather gods on Sunday, but the forecast on Archer is much better following a bleak period and for that English cricket fans will be thankful.
