Jofra Archer's mesmeric spells of brilliance have left a void during his long stints on the sidelines, but while that time can't be made up for, the Ashes offers a chance for him to cement his legacy, writes Ben Gardner.
Look, just don’t get over-excited. We’ve been here before, felt the same swell of optimism only for it to all come crashing down under the pressure. Given everything that has gone before, one or two Tests is the best we can expect. But three, a whole series? Don’t get your hopes up.
…But what if this time is different?
The feelings of any England fan, setting that alarm for 2.29am to watch the first ball at the Optus Stadium, are mirrored among cricket lovers of any creed, desperate, simply, to watch Jofra Archer bowl. It’s an approach and action that has been gushed over and wondered at, from the smooth, economical approach, to the stretch of the delivery slide and snap of the wrist, the elbow flexing, the ball coming out far quicker than it has any right to. The minuteness of the difference between the bouncer that requires swift evasion and the yorker that calls for desperate defence makes picking which is coming even more challenging. Cricketing aesthetics is often a batter’s domain, with the high elbow of a cover drive, the pirouette of a pull shot, the contortions of the scoop. Archer is the rare bowler you could just watch bowl, never mind what happens at the other end, cueing up the YouTube highlights and replaying again and again.
At the start of last summer, archived clips were what we had to make do with, Archer’s career looking like one of those which can befall a fast bowler, the blinding flash and the long fizzle. Only for the pedigree quicks can such a heady reputation be so deserved and yet built on so little: essentially, one golden summer, a few all-timer IPL campaigns, and then a loose patchwork of spells to remind you of what once was. It had been over a year since he had last pulled on an England shirt, and more than two since his last Test. England had got giddy over a potential World Cup Hail Mary, and were stung again by the attempt to rush him back.
As with all things Archer, the comeback began so quietly you barely noticed it, a few T20I appearances here, an ODI series there. Slowly, the acceleration came. If you weren’t paying attention, you might have missed that he was once again an England white-ball fixture. The IPL looked as if it might delay a Test return, but that there was a Test return to delay at all was a minor miracle. Then, of course at Lord’s, where so much of the Archer story has been written, he had the red ball in hand again, squaring up Yashasvi Jaiswal with his third delivery, sending Rishabh Pant’s off-stump for a dance on the final morning. Had Joe Root held Ravindra Jadeja on the last day of the next Test, Archer would have won England the series. As it was, he missed the decider, and the rubber was shared. It left the winter’s Ashes as the next chance for this side to win a marquee, five-Test series. Brendon McCullum describing it as “the biggest series of all of our lives” has helped build the pre-tour hype to extreme levels. It was Archer he was discussing as he did so, thankful that he would play a part in it.
That he will feature at all is thanks to the desire and effort of many, and England’s management deserves credit. They have walked the IPL tightrope, allowing Archer to play this year rather than risk a three-season ban, while also not letting the frustrations of modern cricket dull their dream of Archer in whites. Finally, they seem to have figured out the right level of delicacy required. If they do so for seven more weeks, he could achieve something special.
But most of all it’s down to Archer, who never lost sight of the red ball. A bowler with his rare skill set who has felt the fragility his career brings could not be blamed for giving it up, raking in the riches four overs at a time. But Archer’s relaxed demeanor hides his steel and desire. Suggestions he had played his last Test never came from him. A year ago, he was stealing Stokes’ method of one-word requests, texting ‘Zimbabwe?’ to the captain he had yet to play under, a sign that he wanted to return at the earliest possible opportunity.
Over these five Tests, Archer has the chance to cement a legacy. He is unlikely to end with a ream of stats to justify his ability, but the trophy cabinet can still glitter. He has already secured one long-awaited prize for English cricket. Now, after a decade without the urn, another is there for the taking. Perhaps only Ben Stokes, the all-rounder captain who makes England whole, bears more importance for their Ashes hopes. Archer, at his rhythmic best, is England’s best bowler, and with him in it, the attack makes sense. Australia’s top seven will have either three or four left-handers in it, including both of the specialist openers in their squad. Archer averages 23 against left-handers, far superior to his record against right-handers. All of England’s other quicks have better numbers against right-handers than left-handers. Australia will feel that if they can neutralise Archer they can nullify the rest of the attack. England will hope, if he can provide consistent new-ball in-roads, the middle order can be got at early. It’s a battle that may define the series.
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