Brendon McCullum says England are “hopeful” Jofra Archer will be fit for next week’s second Test against New Zealand, though the head coach stopped short of promising the fast bowler an immediate place in the XI.
Archer sat out the Lord’s opener after a short post-IPL break at home in Barbados. He has since been bowling overs at something close to match intensity and, according to the coach, will be assessed “in the next couple of days”.
“We’re hopeful he will be available for the second Test; then we’ll work out conditions-wise where we’re at,” McCullum explained. “He’s following a plan. We completely trust Jof. He’s shown us in the past what he does, which is get himself ready based on the plans we get together and come up with. He’s always turned up in the condition we wanted from him.”
That trust, though, does not necessarily translate into an automatic recall. Conditions at The Oval can differ sharply from Lord’s and, with Gus Atkinson, Ollie Robinson and Josh Tongue sharing 19 wickets in a low-scoring win, McCullum made it clear there is genuine competition.
“We need a huge array of fast bowlers [to pick from] based on the conditions you feel you’re going to be confronted with,” he said. “You’re not always going to get it right, but you’re trying to pick horses for courses, based on conditions, to give yourself the best chance of winning.”
England’s decision to rest Archer contrasted with India’s use of Mohammed Siraj immediately after his own IPL stint and with New Zealand fielding Matt Henry and Kyle Jamieson at Lord’s. Both Kiwi quicks came straight off relatively light workloads – five IPL appearances between them – but Henry’s back spasms on day one underlined the risk.
Archer has 18 wickets at 27.88 since returning to Tests last summer, the latest a five-for in Adelaide before he switched back to white-ball cricket. What he lacks is recent red-ball rhythm – no first-class match since that December outing against Australia – and England’s management knows over-reliance on one strike bowler is unwise.
Ben Stokes, himself nursing a niggle, bowled only seven overs at Lord’s; off-spinner Shoaib Bashir was unused. Yet the trio of Atkinson, Robinson and Tongue extracted enough seam movement and variable bounce to do the heavy lifting. McCullum reckons that depth can only grow.
“Sonny Baker was close, as well,” he revealed. “We thought if air-speed was going to be important and the pitch was going to be flat, he would be a viable option. Fish [Fisher] has been bowling beautifully, then you’ve got Jofra and Brydon Carse [who has not played since breaking his hand at the IPL in March].”
If Archer is passed fit, the selectors must decide whether raw pace trumps the metronomic accuracy shown by Robinson, or if Tongue’s lively lift remains a better Oval weapon. Atkinson, a Surrey player familiar with the surface, looks likeliest to keep his spot.
The Oval Test starts on 17 June; England lead the three-match series 1-0. A decision on Archer, and on the final make-up of the attack, is expected once the squad gathers in south London early next week.
