Jofra Archer’s return to full pace and Jacob Bethell’s rapid rise have given England’s coaching staff some welcome, if complex, decisions ahead of the Ashes opener in Perth.
Archer, 30, tore through South Africa’s top order at Southampton, taking 4 for 10 in seven overs and finishing the three-match ODI series with eight wickets. Brendon McCullum, speaking moments after the record win, could not hide his satisfaction.
“That was an unbelievable spell,” McCullum said. “It was box-office bowling…[It’s] not just his pace, but his skill, his ability to shift it both ways and to test batters with the steep bounce he gets. He’s a proper cricketer, hence why we’ve taken our time with him to make sure that we give him every chance to be in the biggest series of all of our lives.”
The careful management of Archer’s elbow and back has been a talking point for two years. McCullum believes the evidence now supports England’s softly-softly approach.
“It’s always a delicate balance. Sometimes you need to keep bowling and you need to keep ticking over. I think a lot of injuries happen when you almost down the tools completely, not that I really understand how that works. But we’ve just got to make sure we work to the plan.
“We’ve had a good plan with Jof over the last little while and he’s rewarded us for the type of planning that we’ve had with performances like tonight. He’s going to be a huge player when we get to Australia, as a number of others are. But I don’t think we’ll wrap him up [in cotton wool] per se. We’ll just keep working with him on how he’s going and work out what’s best for him.”
While Archer appears a lock for the Gabba, Bethell is forcing a more nuanced discussion. The left-hander, still just 21, followed a neat 58 at Lord’s with a blistering 110 from 82 balls in Southampton. His intent was obvious: drives on the up, sweeps into the stands and a willingness to attack the quicks from ball one.
McCullum insisted selection remains open.
“We will work that out when we get to Australia,” he said. “We’ve got a few other fish to fry before we get there. We’ve said about Jacob since we introduced him that he’s got a huge future in front of him. He’s very quickly taken to international cricket, and things have come really quickly for him as well.”
England’s current No.3, Ollie Pope, averaged 23 during the home summer, inviting speculation. Bethell, by contrast, has averaged 74 in his first five ODIs and looked composed during a brief championship stint for Warwickshire. Whether that translates to a Test debut at Perth remains the question, yet McCullum was happy to highlight the youngster’s milestone.
“He’s going to have some life: 21 years of age, and being able to play like he does… I want to celebrate the fact that his first ever professional hundred has been scored in the England jumper at the age of 21. I think [David] Gower’s the only other one [to score an ODI hundred for England at 21], and he was a pretty good player. We’ll see where Jacob ends up.”
Away from the batting debate, England’s medical team have been encouraged by updates on Mark Wood and Ben Stokes. Wood is pencilled in for County Championship duty later this month; Stokes is focusing on conditioning, with no formal match scheduled before the first Test.
“Stokesy will be training his arse off as he always does, and making sure he gets as fit as what he possibly can… The last series we saw from Stokesy is probably the best ser” McCullum noted, the thought unfinished but the intent clear: if Stokes feels ready, he plays.
England’s touring party is due to be named in late September, giving selectors a final fortnight to weigh form, fitness and the unique demands of an Australian summer. Archer appears central to those ambitions, Bethell a tantalising wild card. For now, McCullum’s mantra is simple: manage workloads, trust the plan, arrive in Perth with options rather than problems.
