The Ashes: Stage set for Jofra Archer to pull the strings for England

About the best thing that could be said of England’s batting was the stage it bequeathed Jofra Archer in the final hour of the day. There was no maiden Test wicket in six overs of rapier pace but enough excitement in the crowd and unease at the crease to suggest Archer’s impact in the English cause might echo the lethal longbowmen from which his name derives.

Jofra Archer brought a buzz of excitement among the crowd at Lords during his six overs against Australia. Picture: Getty.

To be an Australian batsman must have felt like a French nobleman at Agincourt or Crecy. Worse probably. The 14th-century archer was lethal from 100 yards. Imagine facing the 21st-century version from 22. The third ball of his Test career clocked 90.7mph and did for both batsman and keeper, ripping up the slope through Cameron Bancroft’s defences and past Jonny Bairstow for four. His fourth ball tripped the speed gun at 91.4mph.

An audience fed on a diet of disappointment all day was understandably febrile at the sudden shift in momentum. We shall have a better understanding of the value of England’s 258 when Archer has had a proper run at what is, Steve Smith aside, a brittle Australian batting line-up. Stuart Broad took the one wicket to fall, scalping David Warner for the third time this series for only three runs. Cameron Bancroft and Usman Khawaja held out to close
on 30-1.

Hitherto it was Australia’s day. Honourable mentions go to Rory Burns and Jonny Bairstow. Beyond that England once again demonstrated a worrying inability to play the situation. Iain Dowie was nobody’s idea of a great footballer and did not last long as a coach. He was, however, right about one thing. Most footballers are improved by a plan, by understanding their roles, accepting their limitations and executing according to instruction.

Dowie would paper the walls with Post-it Notes when coach of Oldham Athletic, reinforcing the concept with simple messages. Know your role, understand what your responsibilities are, keep it simple. On the second day of the Lord’s Test it looked like England could use a dose of Dowie to stop the habit of tossing away wickets for want of ideas.

Jason Roy’s first Test innings at Lord’s approximated to the life chances of Henry VIII’s wives, almost beheaded, survived, died. Tut, tut, tut echoed around the Einstein quarter, experts shaking their heads at a foretold failure coming to pass.

This is how the innings went. First ball: takes a wild swipe at a wide delivery, misses. Second ball: presents a straight bat to a decent ball that whizzes past the outside edge. Third ball: edges one he should have left. England 0-1 nine balls into the match. Glory be. Josh Hazlewood was not even loose.

On a muggy morning under a grey top facing the best pace attack in Test cricket, this would be the tough mudder of batting, an attritional, disciplined grind against the new cherry. The kind of qualities in fact least associated with Roy. His exit left Joe Root effectively back where he started, opening again for England.

Successive boundaries up the hill off Pat Cummins in the seventh over momentarily eased the tension. Peter Siddle, first change for Cummins an over later, was welcomed with another Root drive to 
the rope.

The sun was peeking through now and the pitch showing itself to be the kind of contemporary dry, even deck impervious to the vicissitudes of the English summer. Siddle’s first over went for 13, Root and Rory Burns helping themselves. England on their way? Fat chance.

Hazlewood, pictured, trapped Root lbw for 14 with the score on 26 and had Joe Denly caught behind for 30. Both fell to decent balls but having got in Denly is expected to negotiate them batting at four. Enter Jos Buttler. Exit Jos Buttler. As innovative as he is in the white-ball game, Buttler looks ill-equipped as a top-five operator at Test level. Either give him the gloves and bat him at seven when the ball is old or think again.

Bairstow hardly skipped to the crease with the team five down for 136. He was laboured and mechanical at the outset as if consumed by technical concerns. Bairstow is a feel player. He is at his best when he responds to instinctive prompts. Time at the crease is the only antidote to his ills. Fortunately he got it, recording double figures for the first time in six innings.

Bairstow was out trying to force the score along with last-man-in Jack Leach for company at the other end. Pity. Were he free of the gloves Bairstow might come in earlier and do sustained damage.