England captain Joe Root said fast bowler Jofra Archer had “lived up to the hype” with a dramatic Test debut against Australia at Lord’s.
World Cup winner Archer, who replaced the injured James Anderson in England’s team for the second Ashes Test, took five wickets in the drawn match, including 3-32 in Australia’s second innings on Sunday.
But Archer’s display, which almost helped England achieve an unlikely and series-levelling win in a match severely affected by rain, was about much more than economical figures.
The 24-year-old quick’s sheer speed gave England’s attack a new cutting edge. Archer hit several Australians, with a fearsome bouncer that slammed into Steve Smith’s unprotected neck leading to a concussion that kept the star batsman off the field on the last day at Lord’s and could rule him out of the third Test in Leeds starting on Thursday.
“He’s come in and he really has made a massive impact, added a different dynamic to our bowling group and has given Australia something different to think about,” said Root.
“It’s really pleasing to see someone come in on Test debut and really shake up things and live up to the hype -– even some of the hype that he put on himself.
“He makes things happen when not many others in world cricket can. Such a unique action and way of bowling, and obviously natural pace, which is always going to be in the game on any surface.”
Root added: “When you’ve got that and the skill of other guys around it, it makes for a tasty combination and I think that’s one of the reasons why we always felt we were in the game tonight.
“It makes for a very interesting last three games.”
England set Australia a target of 267 to win in 48 overs after Root declared their second innings following Ben Stokes’s 115 not out.
