Archer in focus as Lord’s Test begins today

LONDON: From the match they weren’t expected to win to one they’re not expected to lose my, how quickly things can change during the Ashes.

Australia were given little hope of breaching Fortress Edgbaston and that was before they slumped to 122 for 8 on the first day of the series opener. What might have happened had Steve Smith not produced the innings of his life with a match-saving century, not to mention backing it up with another ton in the second innings? What might have happened had England not lost pace spearhead James Anderson to a calf injury after he had bowled just four overs? But look deeper. The first Test was much more than a few sliding-door moments and what ifs. Sides don’t win matches by 251 runs on the back of fortune alone.

Man of the moment - again - Jofra Archer finds himself in what is fast becoming a familiar position of England X-factor, and he hasn’t even made his Test debut yet. That latter point will be moot come Wednesday morning as Australia set about trying to implement Langer’s instructions to “keep wearing him down”.

But, injury notwithstanding, Archer doesn’t cut the figure of a man who gets worn down. From his whirlwind rise as soon as he qualified for England to stepping up in the tense Super Over of an eventual World Cup triumph, Archer has done all that has been asked of him in his short international career. Yes, it is a huge ask to expect a 24 year old whose only red-ball cricket in 11 months was last week’s second XI appearance for Sussex against Gloucestershire which convinced selectors of his fitness following injury, to be the sole reason England can avoid going 2-0 down in the Ashes. He is one man and, even as Smith discovered amid his first-Test stardom, it takes more than that - ask Lyon, Cummins, Siddle and Wade. But there is no doubting that, with or without the injured Anderson, Archer is a massive plus for England.

England were not without their performers, Stuart Broad and Chris Woakes putting Australia under intense pressure early on while Rory Burns’ timely maiden Test century came as Joe Root - batting a place higher than his preferred No. 4 - and Ben Stokes posted fifties. But Anderson’s injury and Moeen Ali’s poor returns left England’s bowling too thin.

England: (possible) Rory Burns, Jason Roy, Joe Root, Joe Denly, Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes, Jonny Bairstow, Chris Woakes, Jofra Archer, Stuart Broad, Jack Leach.

Australia: (possible) David Warner, Cameron Bancroft, Usman Khawaja, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Matthew Wade, Tim Paine (capt/wk), Pat Cummins, Peter Siddle, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood.

Umpires: Aleem Dar, Chris Gaffaney

TV umpire: Joel Wilson Match referee: Ranjan Madugalle.