CHICHESTER, England, CMC – Barbadian fast bowler Jofra Archer virtually assured himself of a Test debut in next week’s second Ashes Test at Lord’s with a six-wicket haul and whirlwind century for Sussex Second XI here yesterday.
Playing against an inexperienced Gloucestershire Second XI at the rustic Blackstone Academy Ground, the 24-year-old bowled with pace and hostility to finish with six for 27 from 12.1 overs as the visitors folded meekly for 79 in their first innings.
Astonishingly, Archer then returned with the bat to blast a quick-fire 108 off just 99 balls, to rescue Sussex from a troubling position of 52 for four.
Dropped at slip on 13, he made Gloucestershire pay dearly for the miss, motoring to three figures off 84 balls with 12 fours and four sixes.
However, it was his bowling which would have caught the attention of England’s selectors, especially following the earlier news of leading strike bowler James Anderson’s unavailability for the second Test through injury.
In his first red-ball game in nearly a year, Archer showed he had lost none of the prowess which shot him to near instant stardom three years ago.
He struck in the day’s fifth over to remove 19-year-old opener Tom Price for one to a catch at the wicket and then had Gareth Roderick caught at third slip in the ninth over.
Archer’s next four wickets came in the space of 22 balls across two spells and cost just five runs as Gloucestershire wilted quickly.
His pace was evident when he struck Milo Ayres a fearsome blow to the grill with a short ball, forcing the 19-year-old to require treatment before continuing.
Noticeably, he did not field during the Sussex innings.
Archer was left out of the first Test at Edgbaston which England lost by 251 runs. Selectors felt he was not yet fully fit after recovering from a side strain sustained during the recent World Cup, where he was England’s leading bowler with 20 wickets.
Sussex head coach, former Australia paceman Jason Gillespie, believes England erred in excluding Archer and believes he is a shoo-in for Lord’s.
“He’s 100 per cent fit, he’s fine and ready to go. Personally I think England missed a trick by not playing him [at Edgbaston] but he’ll certainly play at Lord’s,” said Gillespie.
“He has to play. To be perfectly blunt he had to start the first Test but the powers that be decided he wasn’t quite ready.
“I think we all saw what a great World Cup Jofra Archer had. Pick a guy when he’s in form and going well, so for me it’s a no-brainer. He must play this second Test.
“He adds another dimension to this England bowling attack – he’s got pace, bounce, movement off the seam, through the air. Four-day cricket, five-day cricket is his best format to appreciate how good he is.”
Archer was not considered for the four-day “Test” against Ireland last month and returned home to his native Barbados for a week’s rest.
He snatched two wickets for Sussex in the T20 Blast a fortnight ago on his return from holiday and was included in England’s squad for the opening Test but excluded from the final XI.
As fate would have it, Anderson lasted just four overs before limping out of the attack on the first morning, leaving England short of a bowler for the remainder of the contest.
