Jofra Archer celebrates wicket in first over of Lord's Test return

Sometimes everything just clicks into place. Jofra Archer’s first delivery of the series, which was also his first in Tests in over four years, was greeted with the fast bowler’s hush.

Even at Lord’s, where the ambivalent hum provides a constant soundtrack, there was a sense of punters leaning forward in their chairs, newspapers folded, conversations paused. There was something extra in the air too, not just the excitement of watching England’s most talented bowler back in action in his favoured format, but the trepidation of wondering exactly what kind of bowler he’d be. Stress fractures to back and elbow take their toll on the body and on the spirit. The white-ball work has been steady, but without the stage to set alight as he did in the 2019 World Cup. This was his grandest occasion since that golden summer.

Instantly he felt different, and also familiar. Yashasvi Jaiswal had plundered 13 off Chris Woakes’ first over, but was instantly hurried in a way no England bowler had managed in the series. The first ball was stabbed awkwardly. The second fizzed past the edge. The third jagged across, took the edge and flew to second slip. Archer tore off towards fine leg into the Lord’s expanse, just as he had after that decisive World Cup final delivery almost exactly six years to the day. The joy, the relief. The next ball read 93.6mph on the speed gun, the fastest from any bowler on either side of the series so far, the hard that has been harder than most will know made to look easy.

From the other end, Woakes was making the hard work look hard. This whole series has felt like hard work, cheeks puffed out, brows furrowed or raised, Woakes’ face regularly telling the tale of an edge just missed or falling safe. That first over started with a loosener, thrashed through cover, then one of those controlled edges that has frustrated him throughout the series, and then a ball on the pads, helped on his way. He improved through the opening spell, conceding fewer runs in his next five overs than he had in his first, but the drop-off from one end to the other was noticeable. His one wicket came via a classic piece of Woakes wobble seam, India captain Shubman Gill failing for just the second time in the series, but also with wicketkeeper Jamie Smith standing up, a time-honoured tell of pace on the wane.

Woakes has never relied on speed, but every mile an hour lost gives a batter an extra fraction to adjust to movement off the air and in the pitch. His bowling average for the series sits at 86.50. Only four England quicks have bowled more overs in a series with a worse average. He hasn’t been able to compensate with control either. Only once, in a series in which Woakes has played more than one game, has he had a higher economy rate, in Australia in the 2021/22 Ashes. A return tour looks increasingly unlikely.

It isn’t just Archer coming back that has sharpened the focus on Woakes. A golden duck was a rare failure at Lord’s, where Woakes’ record is imperious, but also came as part of a continued slide, Woakes averaging 18 with the bat since the start of 2023. Brydon Carse’s maiden Test fifty suggested he could be an option at No.8, as could Gus Atkinson, a Lord’s Test centurion, in the squad but not picked for this game. A rare club outing for Spencer CC will be a chance to regain his rhythm. Mark Wood, Woakes’ great mate, is eyeing a return at The Oval as well. It’s not impossible that James Anderson has skewed the perception, but Woakes, at 36, is nearing the age when seamers tend to think about calling time. Stuart Broad was 37 when he finished up, as was Neil Wagner. Tim Southee was 36.

For Woakes, that 2023 Ashes that seemed at the time like a long-awaited emergence from the shadows of Broad and Anderson, now looks like the high point from which the decline started. He is a Compton-Miller Medal winner, a three-time Ashes winner, a dual World Cup winner. It’s a haul to be proud of.

“I don't see myself as one of the greats,” he said ahead of the series. “You know what you are. I don't put myself in the bracket of Broady and Jimmy, or Glenn McGrath or Curtly Ambrose.

“I believe I've got the best out of my ability. I've worked my nuts off to get there. At the end of the day, if I'm being picked, it's clear I'm good enough to play for England. As long as I'm contributing, that's all that really matters.”

One last Lord’s contribution might just be a fitting way to sign off.

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