TRENT BRIDGE — England have rightly been criticised for getting almost every big decision wrong over the past two years or so. Yet their handling of Jofra Archer is one thing that cannot be faulted.
It is underestimated just how painstaking the fast bowler’s return to Test cricket has been following a chronic right-elbow injury that threatened his career.
Yet Archer’s performance on the third day in Nottingham is just about the only thing that is keeping England in a deciding Test against New Zealand that they really cannot afford to lose.
His five-over spell at the start of the tourists’ second-innings was simply electrifying. The 31-year-old is known for his high-octane pace, with the spell against Australia’s Steve Smith on his Test debut at Lord’s in 2019 is one of the most compelling passages of play in recent Ashes memory.
This latest star turn in Nottingham wasn’t quite in that category. Yet the way he roughed up New Zealand after they had established a first-innings lead of 84, was exactly what England needed.
