Enough is Enough - A Cricket 22 Story

[Rumple43]

​

1st Test once again swings back and forth as NZ, England battle for advantage​

Tourists polish off England's 1st innings inside the opening hour before contributions across the team push Williamson’s side ahead.

New Zealand ended day three of the 1st Test from Lord’s on 234-7, a lead of 115.

Closing the previous day at 327-5, England could only progress to 364 all out as Ollie Robinson, Stuart Broad and James Anderson all collected ducks to leave Ben Stokes unbeaten on 71*.

The visitors would then ride their luck to push themselves towards a modest advantage, leaving what has become an enthralling match in the balance once again.



With a 119-run lead and five wickets still in hand as the players entered the fray for the morning session, England will have fancied their chances of extending their advantage past the 200 mark.

Harry Brook (22 from 30) extended his lean spell with the bat since his debut this winter, edging behind off Trent Boult as Ben Foakes soon followed, playing all around a full one from the same bowler to depart LBW.

England’s 9, 10 and 11 would survive a combined eight deliveries to leave a visibly disappointed Stokes stranded at the other end, with a significant chance to gain a foothold in the match instead going begging.

England’s frustrations only grew in the hour before lunch as New Zealand found every reason possible to somehow deny Anderson and Broad with the new ball.

Both Young and Latham, then Devon Conway, all played and miss more than once, with multiple deliveries failing to produce a nick and five separate edges all evading a fielder.

The World Champions were well set at 48-1 at lunch, with Young failing to build on his 1st innings momentum as the only man to fall, but England would soon strike after the interval.

Two wickets in three balls put the hosts back in the mix, with a stunning run out from mid wicket by Joe Root sending Latham on his way for 37 before Anderson had Conway caught behind.

New Zealand would counter punch, as has become customary in this knife-edge contest, to build once again throughout the afternoon. Led by captain Williamson, he busily went about his business to near another test match 50 by the tea break.



The evening session would see England slowly chipping away around their opponent’s counter-jabs, biding their time to the new ball on a pitch that was offering less and less for the bowling side.

Kane Williamson moved to his half century before being bowled by Joe Root, turning the ball back into the right-hander and clipping the inside edge before clattering into the stumps, whilst the familiar figure of wicket-keeper Tom Blundell remained, adding to his 71 from the 1st innings with an unbeaten 33 as the players departed for the day.

Much like their opponents did this morning, England will be hoping to come out tomorrow and take the remaining three New Zealand wickets cheaply to set up a modest run chase. Any kind of prolonged resistance from the visitors could make for a difficult total to reach, leaving the contest truly in the balance after three days of play.

New Zealand captain Kane Williamson:

"I think we can be pleased with how we've played today, and the fact we still have a really good chance of coming out tomorrow and putting this game out of reach.

"We finished things off well this morning and did what we needed to with the ball. The surface is a bit of a funny one. It looks to be flattening out a bit, then a ball here or there will do something that causes a problem. Still, I was happy with my own contribution, and with Tom still there plus the rest of our lower order who can chip in, we'll be looking to get as far ahead as possible.

"For the neutral, I suppose you could say that just like this time yesterday, the game is still very much in the balance and from any test match, that is all you can ask for."

Spoiler: England 1st Innings - BAT

Spoiler: England 1st Innings - BALL

Spoiler: New Zealand 2nd Innings - BAT

Spoiler: New Zealand 2nd Innings - BALL

 

[Rumple43]

​

Blundell, NZ tail help to frustrate England before bowlers leave 4th innings chase on life support​

1st test hangs in the balance for both teams following a stunning day of red ball cricket.

On a day that ebbed and flowed one way then the other, both teams enjoyed periods of dominance and moments of peril on the way to what is sure to be a thrilling climax tomorrow from the Home of Cricket.

With England looking for quick wickets to begin the day, the tourists dug in as their final four NZ batters put on a combined 170 runs across 64 overs.

Now needing a tricky 231 runs for victory, Joe Root’s side were 8-3 after five overs, their chase in complete disarray.

They would eventually close on 134-6, needing a further 97 runs to win on day five.



The New Zealand rear-guard was anchored beautifully by wicket-keeper Tom Blundell, who was the final man to be dismissed in the innings, departing for 109 off 235 balls as his team’s total fell a whisker short of 350.

With five overs to pass ahead of the new ball, England were fortunate to nab the wicket of overnight batter Tim Southee early, caught at slip off Ben Stokes.

The new cherry failed to yield further inroads however, with Blundell and Neil Wagner both dropping anchor to dull England’s advances.

301-8 at lunch, the duo eventually put on 66 from 185 deliveries to grind the hosts down even further during a humid afternoon before Wagner edged an over-confident drive to slip.

Number 11 Trent Boult continued in the same vein, with his own 85 ball partnership with Blundell adding a further 36 runs to the total before the NZ keeper was caught behind off James Anderson.



No doubt out in the field far longer than they would have liked or imaged, England’s run chase got off to an almost comical start.

Despite putting credit in the bank during a number of recent good performances since coming together as an opening pair, both Rory Burns and Tom Haines faltered at the worst possible time, with Burns recording a fourth ball duck before Haines (4 from 9 balls) followed shortly after.

Sandwiched in the middle was another failure for Josh Bohannon, who is beginning to look overmatched at this level. With scores of three, 10 and zero, the Lancashire man is fast running out of time to show England’s top brass what he’s capable of.

Dragging themselves to 25-3 at the tea break, England had a chance to lick their wounds but the respite wouldn’t last for long as Root was caught out hooking a Neil Wagner bouncer, only able to sky the ball to Colin De Grandhomme at backward square leg when caution really should have been the order of the day.

Things went from bad to worse shortly after as Ben Stokes, England’s hero from the 1st innings, was run out trying for a highly-speculative second run that was never really on. In the circumstances, it was a serious brain fade from England’s most senior pair of batsmen, leaving a dire situation for Harry Brook and Ollie Pope to inherit.

Still, the pair provided England’s only real stability during the innings, putting on a half century before Pope fell less than 20 minutes before the close of play to a beauty from Kyle Jamison.

Brook would end proceedings on 43*, his highest international score to date, and the weight of England’s expectation on his shoulders as the team’s last recognised batsman alongside wicket-keeper Ben Foakes.

New Zealand captain Kane Williamson:

“I think things went about as well as we could have hoped, but really today brought out the beauty of test cricket.

“We knew we had to make a fist of things this morning to give ourselves a total to defend and credit to Tommo, he batted brilliantly to help us do just that.

“We know that we can’t take anything for granted and this is still a very talented England team. They showed that in the West Indies and they’ve certainly showed it during the first four days of this match.

“We’ll be coming out all guns blazing tomorrow to try and go 1-0 up heading to Trent Bridge.”

Spoiler: New Zealand 2nd Innings - BAT

Spoiler: New Zealand 2nd Innings - BALL

Spoiler: England 2nd Innings - BAT

Spoiler: England 2nd Innings - BALL

 

[Slug1793]

Series and Lifetime Averages​

Spoiler: March 2022 - @ West Indies

England - Batting

Player	Team	Hand	M	I	NO	Runs	Balls	100s	50s	1st	2nd	Ct	St	HS	AV	S/R
JOE ROOT	ENGLAND	RIGHT	3	5	1	315	498	1	2	121	194	4	0	150*	78.75	63.25
CHRIS WOAKES	ENGLAND	RIGHT	2	3	1	156	253	1	1	150	6	1	0	137	78.00	61.66
RYAN HIGGINS	ENGLAND	RIGHT	1	2	1	62	42	0	1	10	52	1	0	52*	62.00	147.62
BEN FOAKES	ENGLAND	RIGHT	3	5	1	247	409	0	2	157	90	16	0	87	61.75	60.39
TOM HAINES	ENGLAND	LEFT	3	5	0	235	466	0	3	164	71	2	0	81	47.00	50.43
RORY BURNS	ENGLAND	LEFT	3	5	0	230	404	1	2	83	147	2	0	113	46.00	56.93
OLLIE POPE	ENGLAND	RIGHT	3	5	0	195	366	0	2	146	49	10	0	89	39.00	53.28
ZAK CRAWLEY	ENGLAND	RIGHT	2	4	0	74	150	0	1	54	20	1	0	54	18.50	49.33
HARRY BROOK	ENGLAND	RIGHT	3	5	0	78	147	0	0	65	13	2	0	30	15.60	53.06
OLLIE ROBINSON	ENGLAND	RIGHT	3	4	1	22	61	0	0	20	2	1	0	8	7.33	36.07
STUART BROAD	ENGLAND	RIGHT	3	3	1	9	37	0	0	9	0	1	0	9	4.50	24.32
MARK WOOD	ENGLAND	RIGHT	2	2	1	4	29	0	0	4	0	3	0	3	4.00	13.79
JOSH BOHANNON	ENGLAND	RIGHT	1	1	0	3	17	0	0	3	0	0	0	3	3.00	17.65​
DOM BESS	ENGLAND	RIGHT	1	1	0	0	6	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.00	0.00​

England - Bowling

Player	Team	Type	M	I	Balls	Runs	Wkts	5WI	10WM	BBI	BBM	AV	Econ	S/R
JOE ROOT	ENGLAND	OS	3	6	423	99	21	2	1	5-24	10-51	4.71	1.40	20.14
DOM BESS	ENGLAND	OS	1	2	195	85	8	0	0	4-35	8-85	10.63	2.62	24.38
MARK WOOD	ENGLAND	RF	2	4	480	147	8	0	0	4-32	6-55	18.38	1.84	60.00
OLLIE ROBINSON	ENGLAND	RFM	3	6	594	214	9	0	0	3-13	4-59	23.78	2.16	66.00
STUART BROAD	ENGLAND	RFM	3	6	684	269	10	0	0	3-45	5-84	26.90	2.36	68.40
RYAN HIGGINS	ENGLAND	RMF	1	2	180	90	2	0	0	1-16	2-90	45.00	3.00	90.00
CHRIS WOAKES	ENGLAND	RMF	2	4	306	144	1	0	0	1-20	1-64	144.00	2.82	306.00

West Indies - Batting

Player	Team	Hand	M	I	NO	Runs	Balls	100s	50s	1st	2nd	Ct	St	HS	AV	S/R
KRAIGG BRATHWAITE	WEST INDIES	RIGHT	3	6	0	204	482	1	2	119	85	5	0	108	34.00	42.32
KIERAN POWELL	WEST INDIES	LEFT	3	6	0	160	355	0	1	112	48	2	0	79	26.67	45.07
NKRUMAH BONNER	WEST INDIES	RIGHT	3	6	0	157	426	0	0	31	126	3	0	79	26.17	36.85
ROSTON CHASE	WEST INDIES	RIGHT	3	6	0	122	250	0	0	108	14	2	0	71	20.33	48.80
JASON HOLDER	WEST INDIES	RIGHT	3	6	1	93	223	0	1	10	83	0	0	50*	18.60	41.70
RAHKEEM CORNWALL	WEST INDIES	RIGHT	1	2	0	23	58	0	0	7	16	0	0	16	11.50	39.66
KYLE MAYERS	WEST INDIES	LEFT	3	6	0	68	228	0	0	35	33	2	0	18	11.33	29.82
JOSHUA DA SILVA	WEST INDIES	RIGHT	3	6	0	66	249	0	0	32	34	13	0	29	11.00	26.51
JERMAINE BLACKWOOD	WEST INDIES	RIGHT	2	4	0	34	177	0	0	23	11	0	0	14	8.50	19.21
ALZARRI JOSEPH	WEST INDIES	RIGHT	2	4	1	25	153	0	0	23	2	0	0	21	8.33	16.34
SHAI HOPE	WEST INDIES	RIGHT	1	2	0	16	68	0	0	0	16	1	0	16	8.00	23.53
JAYDEN SEALES	WEST INDIES	LEFT	2	4	1	18	94	0	0	0	18	2	0	14	6.00	19.15
KEMAR ROACH	WEST INDIES	RIGHT	3	6	2	12	138	0	0	12	0	0	0	10	3.00	8.70
SHANNON GABRIEL	WEST INDIES	RIGHT	1	2	1	0	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0*	0.00	0.00

West Indies - Bowling

Player	Team	Type	M	I	Balls	Runs	Wkts	5WI	10WM	BBI	BBM	AV	Econ	S/R
JAYDEN SEALES	WEST INDIES	RFM	2	4	462	268	9	0	0	4-88	5-151	29.78	3.48	51.33
ROSTON CHASE	WEST INDIES	OS	3	5	222	109	3	0	0	2-16	3-43	36.33	2.95	74.00
KEMAR ROACH	WEST INDIES	RFM	3	4	674	431	11	1	0	5-92	5-92	39.18	3.84	61.27
ALZARRI JOSEPH	WEST INDIES	RF	2	4	402	202	5	0	0	3-64	5-138	40.40	3.01	80.40
RAHKEEM CORNWALL	WEST INDIES	OS	1	1	174	82	2	0	0	2-82	2-82	41.00	2.83	87.00
SHANNON GABRIEL	WEST INDIES	RF	1	1	96	51	1	0	0	1-51	1-51	51.00	3.19	96.00
JASON HOLDER	WEST INDIES	RMF	3	5	532	335	6	0	0	2-46	4-106	55.83	3.78	88.67
KYLE MAYERS	WEST INDIES	RMF	3	5	240	118	2	0	0	1-23	1-23	59.00	2.95	120.00
NKRUMAH BONNER	WEST INDIES	RM	3	1	78	59	0	0	0	0-59	0-59	N/A	4.54	N/A

Spoiler: Lifetime averages

England - Batting

Player	Team	Hand	M	I	NO	Runs	Balls	100s	50s	1st	2nd	Ct	St	HS	AV	S/R
JOE ROOT	ENGLAND	RIGHT	3	5	1	315	498	1	2	121	194	4	0	150*	78.75	63.25
CHRIS WOAKES	ENGLAND	RIGHT	2	3	1	156	253	1	1	150	6	1	0	137	78.00	61.66
RYAN HIGGINS	ENGLAND	RIGHT	1	2	1	62	42	0	1	10	52	1	0	52*	62.00	147.62
BEN FOAKES	ENGLAND	RIGHT	3	5	1	247	409	0	2	157	90	16	0	87	61.75	60.39
TOM HAINES	ENGLAND	LEFT	3	5	0	235	466	0	3	164	71	2	0	81	47.00	50.43
RORY BURNS	ENGLAND	LEFT	3	5	0	230	404	1	2	83	147	2	0	113	46.00	56.93
OLLIE POPE	ENGLAND	RIGHT	3	5	0	195	366	0	2	146	49	10	0	89	39.00	53.28
ZAK CRAWLEY	ENGLAND	RIGHT	2	4	0	74	150	0	1	54	20	1	0	54	18.50	49.33
HARRY BROOK	ENGLAND	RIGHT	3	5	0	78	147	0	0	65	13	2	0	30	15.60	53.06
OLLIE ROBINSON	ENGLAND	RIGHT	3	4	1	22	61	0	0	20	2	1	0	8	7.33	36.07
STUART BROAD	ENGLAND	RIGHT	3	3	1	9	37	0	0	9	0	1	0	9	4.50	24.32
MARK WOOD	ENGLAND	RIGHT	2	2	1	4	29	0	0	4	0	3	0	3	4.00	13.79
JOSH BOHANNON	ENGLAND	RIGHT	1	1	0	3	17	0	0	3	0	0	0	3	3.00	17.65​
DOM BESS	ENGLAND	RIGHT	1	1	0	0	6	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.00	0.00​

England - Bowling

Player	Team	Type	M	I	Balls	Runs	Wkts	5WI	10WM	BBI	BBM	AV	Econ	S/R
JOE ROOT	ENGLAND	OS	3	6	423	99	21	2	1	5-24	10-51	4.71	1.40	20.14
DOM BESS	ENGLAND	OS	1	2	195	85	8	0	0	4-35	8-85	10.63	2.62	24.38
MARK WOOD	ENGLAND	RF	2	4	480	147	8	0	0	4-32	6-55	18.38	1.84	60.00
OLLIE ROBINSON	ENGLAND	RFM	3	6	594	214	9	0	0	3-13	4-59	23.78	2.16	66.00
STUART BROAD	ENGLAND	RFM	3	6	684	269	10	0	0	3-45	5-84	26.90	2.36	68.40
RYAN HIGGINS	ENGLAND	RMF	1	2	180	90	2	0	0	1-16	2-90	45.00	3.00	90.00
CHRIS WOAKES	ENGLAND	RMF	2	4	306	144	1	0	0	1-20	1-64	144.00	2.82	306.00

Love the spreadsheet, this is what I have been running since C19

Every game, every player, even have stats on how other players have performed against me

 

[Rumple43]

Love the spreadsheet, this is what I have been running since C19

Every game, every player, even have stats on how other players have performed against me

Oh lovely stuff. That is just beautiful!

 

[Slug1793]

Oh lovely stuff. That is just beautiful!

I do look at it and think it’s a thing of beauty haha

 

[Rumple43]

I do look at it and think it’s a thing of beauty haha

My book is just full of lookups, so I type a figure in on one sheet and it appears loads of other places as well.

Watching it all pre-populate fills me with a great deal of satisfaction.

 

[Slug1793]

My book is just full of lookups, so I type a figure in on one sheet and it appears loads of other places as well.

Watching it all pre-populate fills me with a great deal of satisfaction.

Love that, I have it set up whereby when I fill in the scorecard, that changes the player’s stats, which then changes the graphs. People would say it’s sad, but I think knowing exactly how many balls I’ve bowled with Jimmy is the type of info I need in my life haha

 

[Rumple43]

Love that, I have it set up whereby when I fill in the scorecard, that changes the player’s stats, which then changes the graphs. People would say it’s sad, but I think knowing exactly how many balls I’ve bowled with Jimmy is the type of info I need in my life haha

I mean, what else is there to know in life except Joe Root's strike rate in my test series against West Indies??

 

[Rumple43]

​

England win 1st test against New Zealand in tense fashion thanks to Harry Brook masterclass​

Yorkshire star makes unbeaten century and drags the hosts over the line following unbeaten 134-run partnership with Ben Foakes.

England won the 1st test from Lord’s by four wickets, battling back from 0-2 and 8-3 to eventually seal victory just before lunch on day five.

England began the day on 134-6, leaving Brook and Foakes to navigate nearly the entire of the opening session, gradually reducing England’s deficit without cause for concern. The calm of the pre-lunch win was a stark contrast from yesterday's chaos, when England's chase laid in tatters as their senior batsmen fell over themselves to give away their wickets.

With the finish line eventually in sight for the hosts, the only formality remaining was if there would be enough runs for both Brook and Foakes to reach milestones before handshakes were exchanged.



With the carnage the accompanies England’s early chase, with three wickets falling for less than 10 runs and the team being 47-5 shortly after the tea break, a leisurely run chase on a seemingly deteriorating pitch seemed a remote possibility before play began.

Still, both Brook and Foakes picked up where they left off the previous evening, playing patiently and waiting for the bad ball to push their team’s total steadily along.

134-6 at the start of play became 176-6 by drinks, with the opening 15 overs yielding a 2.8RPO pace, and no chances for the visitors to try and capitalise on.



Shortly after the break, the partnership between the two men passed into triple digits. Taking 159 balls to achieve the milestone, England were nearly home and dry.

Chat amongst those watching quickly turned to if either man would be stranded short of a well-deserved personal landmark, but that chat also appeared to have taken place in the middle as well.

As Foakes ran just a single when two or even three runs would have been option to bring up his fourth test half century, both batters smiled and shared a telling fist bump mid-pitch.

That left Brook, England’s hero in what could easily have been a futile chase, to hit a boundary to bring up his first-ever test century, sending a packed Lord’s crowd to their feet with cheers of both team celebration and individual plaudits.



The Player of the Match award went to Tom Blundell for 180 runs across the contest, including his impressive 109 in the NZ 2nd innings, setting up what the visitors would have hoped would be a sufficient total on a surface that was past its best.

It nearly was a match-winning contribution from the NZ keeper as well, were it not from Brook’s contribution, the Yorkshire man can feel hard-done-to at not receiving the honour himself.

James Anderson collected figures of 5-133 in his return to the side, with Stuart Broad failing to add a wicket to the five he picked up on day one.

England’s Harry Brook:

“What a feeling! This is the kind of thing that dreams are made of.

“You put in the work to get to this level, hoping it can become a reality, and to have something like this play out, at this amazing ground, it’s something I’ll never forget.

“I know it’s the type of knock I’m capable of, and to use it to get the team a win, that’s truly special. Batting with Foaksy is always great fun, and we had a bit of a laugh there towards the end. I thought we were going to have to get the calculator out at one point, but fortunately we both got what we wanted, plus the win of course.

“We know how hard this series is going to be. New Zealand are world champions so we have to keep this effort and momentum going and head to Trent Bridge with our focus on getting another win there as well.”

Note: I’ve looked high and low and can’t find Harry Brook’s 100, video or image. I was sure I saved it, for obvious reasons, but can’t place it. I’ve provided an image of him making 50 instead. Apologies!

Spoiler: England 2nd Innings - BAT

Spoiler: England 2nd Innings - BALL

Spoiler: Match Summary

 

[Slug1793]

View attachment 267606​

England win 1st test against New Zealand in tense fashion thanks to Harry Brook masterclass​

Yorkshire star makes unbeaten century and drags the hosts over the line following unbeaten 134-run partnership with Ben Foakes.

England won the 1st test from Lord’s by four wickets, battling back from 0-2 and 8-3 to eventually seal victory just before lunch on day five.

England began the day on 134-6, leaving Brook and Foakes to navigate nearly the entire of the opening session, gradually reducing England’s deficit without cause for concern. The calm of the pre-lunch win was a stark contrast from yesterday's chaos, when England's chase laid in tatters as their senior batsmen fell over themselves to give away their wickets.

With the finish line eventually in sight for the hosts, the only formality remaining was if there would be enough runs for both Brook and Foakes to reach milestones before handshakes were exchanged.

View attachment 267607

With the carnage the accompanies England’s early chase, with three wickets falling for less than 10 runs and the team being 47-5 shortly after the tea break, a leisurely run chase on a seemingly deteriorating pitch seemed a remote possibility before play began.

Still, both Brook and Foakes picked up where they left off the previous evening, playing patiently and waiting for the bad ball to push their team’s total steadily along.

134-6 at the start of play became 176-6 by drinks, with the opening 15 overs yielding a 2.8RPO pace, and no chances for the visitors to try and capitalise on.

View attachment 267608

Shortly after the break, the partnership between the two men passed into triple digits. Taking 159 balls to achieve the milestone, England were nearly home and dry.

Chat amongst those watching quickly turned to if either man would be stranded short of a well-deserved personal landmark, but that chat also appeared to have taken place in the middle as well.

As Foakes ran just a single when two or even three runs would have been option to bring up his fourth test half century, both batters smiled and shared a telling fist bump mid-pitch.

That left Brook, England’s hero in what could easily have been a futile chase, to hit a boundary to bring up his first-ever test century, sending a packed Lord’s crowd to their feet with cheers of both team celebration and individual plaudits.

View attachment 267609

The Player of the Match award went to Tom Blundell for 180 runs across the contest, including his impressive 109 in the NZ 2nd innings, setting up what the visitors would have hoped would be a sufficient total on a surface that was past its best.

It nearly was a match-winning contribution from the NZ keeper as well, were it not from Brook’s contribution, the Yorkshire man can feel hard-done-to at not receiving the honour himself.

James Anderson collected figures of 5-133 in his return to the side, with Stuart Broad failing to add a wicket to the five he picked up on day one.

England’s Harry Brook:

Note: I’ve looked high and low and can’t find Harry Brook’s 100, video or image. I was sure I saved it, for obvious reasons, but can’t place it. I’ve provided an image of him making 50 instead. Apologies!

Spoiler: England 2nd Innings - BAT

View attachment 267611

Spoiler: England 2nd Innings - BALL

View attachment 267612

Spoiler: Match Summary

View attachment 267610

Questions at number 3?

 

[Rumple43]

Questions at number 3?

Massive questions. Not working at all!

 

[Slug1793]

Massive questions. Not working at all!

What you thinking, another county call up or Pope up the order? We know Root won’t touch it

 

[Rumple43]

What you thinking, another county call up or Pope up the order? We know Root won’t touch it

I've heard Johnny Bairstow is pretty good you know, but you'll just have to wait and see

 

[Slug1793]

I've heard Johnny Bairstow is pretty good you know, but you'll just have to wait and see

Yeah but he struggles to clear the ropes

 

[Rumple43]

​

England: Jofra Archer poised for Three Lions return ahead of 2nd test

GEORGE DOBELL: The fast bowler has completed his rehab stint at Sussex, signalling a potential reintroduction to international cricket following an elbow injury



Fresh off the back of a four wicket win against New Zealand in the 1st Test from Lord’s, England have more positive news on the horizon.

Mike Hesson’s side look set to be able to call upon the services of fast bowler Jofra Archer, who last played for the national team in February 2021 during England's tour to India.

The 27-year-old has since been blighted by injury, with a recurring elbow problem requiring surgery and extensive rehabilitation.

A return to full fitness and wickets in both of Sussex’s last two county championship games means the paceman now has the green light for selection, with early reports suggesting Joe Root is expected to give Archer the nod ahead of next week’s 2nd test in Nottingham.

England head coach Mike Hesson: “We’re delighted to have Jofra back in the mix, and he has certainly put in the hard yards to reach this point.

“The test match at Lord’s went well, and we’re happy with that result, but we know we need to keep pushing forward and nothing is taken for granted.

“Knowing Jofra is available is always a bonus, as we want both depth and competition at all places in the XI. The demands of the game have never been greater and rest and recuperation are a given.

“We’ll see what the future holds on that front, but right now we’re dialled in for Trent Bridge and sealing the series against New Zealand.”



Should reports be accurate and Archer is coming into team for the 2nd test, questions remain about how England will once again shuffle their deck to accommodate him.

Root didn’t rule out Ben Stokes for the trip to Nottingham, but the Durham man does appear to be carrying an ankle injury that could limit his involvement. That could make for a straight swap, though such a move would restrict England’s batting options.

Much has been made about how England have used their express pace option in the past, with Root coming in for frequent criticism during Archer’s longer spells. With the Barbados-born star looking to continue his role as an all-format player for the national team, his workload and general management will no doubt come under the microscope once again.

Archer’s potential jump to the front of the fast bowling queue also casts a shadow on Mark Wood’s recent uptick in form (8 wickets @ 18.38 against West Indies), plus the international hopes of players like Saqib Mahmood and Brydon Carse, who were both taken to the Caribbean but saw no action.