Watch cricket video highlights between Pakistan vs England. Pakistan tour of England third twenty/20, played at Cardiff.
Prior to Jofra Archer’s elbow injury return, Jos Buttler had made many attempts to temper expectations, but it will be difficult for England supporters to control their excitement. Archer’s smile at Edgbaston, where he concluded with 2 for 28 from his four overs, told the tale after he had been away from international cricket for 14 months. This resulted in a victory by 23 runs. ‘Will Jofra Archer return?’ appears while searching for Archer’s name on Google.
Not least during the ODI World Cup last year, when his tenure as a traveling reserve ended less than a week after he had arrived in Mumbai owing to yet another setback, there have been moments throughout his most recent layoff when it has felt improbable. He said on Saturday that he felt like “a hamster on the wheel” from his ongoing rehabilitation, and he made a suggestion last month that “another stop-start year” would make him doubt his ability to play the game.
Given this, Archer’s comeback match against Pakistan on Saturday was almost perfect: two wickets in four one-over periods; a peak pace of 92 mph/148 kph; and a four-ball cameo of 12 not out, which included a gorgeous straight six off Mohammad Amir. Even his favorite Manchester United won the FA Cup final at Wembley, giving him the upper hand against Phil Salt, who supports City. Chris Jordan, a friend, mentor, and fellow Bajan, was tickled to no end by Archer’s first wicket. With the first ball of his second over, Archer struck after a costly first over that saw 15 runs at the end of the Powerplay.
Pakistan’s keeper-batter, Azam Khan, chipped a fullish ball that was clocking in at 90 mph/145 kph to short cover. Bowling the last over of the Powerplay when the ball has ceased swinging is usually a difficult task, and although Archer gave up 15 runs in his opening set of six, he did not do too badly. His first ball came in at 86 mph (139 kph), so there were no losers. Even though he overpitched a little when Fakhar Zaman and Babar Azam struck him for fours, Fakhar’s skillful six-ball was a smart shot rather than a poor one.
Maybe Archer should have used his variations sooner, but they were effective when he used them later in his stint. Fakhar had to duck under a bumper that was traveling at 87 mph/140 kph, Iftikhar Ahmed was unable to get away with his leg-cutters or back-of-the-hander, and Shaheen Afridi had to dig a yorker out. Imad Wasim misjudged a low full toss away for four, only to find Liam Livingstone at deep point, holding onto a diving catch.
With Sam Curran finding it difficult to hide his disappointment at being left out during a guest appearance on Sky’s commentary, Matthew Mott said on Wednesday that England knows exactly who their best XI is for the T20 World Cup. That means that the team that played at Edgbaston on June 4 against Scotland in Barbados may be the same one that begins the competition. Witnessing England’s three most probable starting seamers, Archer, Jordan, and Reece Topley, together for the first time was a treat, as Moeen Ali, Will Jacks, Liam Livingstone, and Adil Rashid provided four spin alternatives.
The duties of the quicks are well defined: Jordan will bowl mostly towards the end of the innings, Topley will bowl with the new ball most of the time, and Archer at both ends. All eyes will be on Archer as he continues to strengthen his match practice, with his comeback providing England’s players with what Jordan described as “a different-level mood” as the series advances to Cardiff on Tuesday and The Oval on Thursday. The World Cup campaign that followed was greatly impacted five years ago by Archer’s late addition to England’s ODI team; the reigning T20 champions are now looking for a repeat.
