England captain Joe Root hails ‘big impact’ of Jofra Archer
Written by News on 18/08/2019
England captain Joe Root hailed the performance of Jofra Archer after Australia held out for a draw in the second Ashes test despite devastating spells of pace bowling from the debutant.
Archer, Jack Leach and Ben Stokes shared the starring roles as England’s captivating fifth-day victory charge came up four wickets short at Lord’s.
Stokes hit 115 not out, his first century in two years, to set up the declaration, with the ferocious pace of Archer and the nagging left-arm spin of Leach piling the pressure on Australia in a suitably tense finale.
The tourists, without key man Steve Smith due to a concussion caused by a vicious Archer bouncer the previous afternoon, finished on 154-6 under failing light on Sunday.
Michael Atherton declared that a “psychological shift” had taken place with the introduction of Archer in the series, and Root said: “Obviously out on the field he’s clearly made a big impact.
“The dynamic he adds to the bowling attack is fantastic. He’s a very relaxed, laid-back kind of guy. He’s extremely confident and you can see that when he goes out and performs.
“We’ve seen a couple of brilliant bowling spells from him already, and he’s a very exciting prospect going into the rest of the series.”
When asked if England need to manage how much they use Archer, Root added: “Today was very special circumstances and we had the opportunity to win the game, and he looked the most threatening on this surface.
“It was a very difficult wicket to get under the bouncer and he caused a lot of problems with it.”
Stokes played wonderfully for his seventh Test hundred, allowing Root the luxury of declaring 266 ahead with 48 overs left in the day.
Rain wiped out the first day at Lord’s on Wednesday, and as the rain fell down once more during the presentation ceremony at the home of cricket, Root focused on what England could control during the second Test.
“It could’ve made a big difference but we can’t control the weather,” he said. “Most importantly, we had to get ourselves to a score where we felt we were in control of the game and we managed to do that.
“Ben (Stokes) played exceptionally well and there were a couple of really good partnerships. We threw everything we could at them but fair play to Australia, they managed to hold on.
“As the summer has progressed, Ben’s form just keeps getting better and better so that’s a really good sign going into the rest of the series. He’s got even more fond memories of this ground now.”
England have to win two of the last three Tests in order to reclaim the Ashes, and Root remains confident that feat can be achieved.
“It was important we bounced back strongly after Edgbaston,” he said. “We’ve done that and we’ve proved that we’re massively in this series.
“It’s all about trying to take that momentum into the next game now.”
Watch the third Test between England and Australia at Headingley from 10am, Thursday on Sky Sports The Ashes and Main Event.
(c) Sky Sports 2019: England captain Joe Root hails ‘big impact’ of Jofra Archer
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