ICC World Cup 2019, England vs West Indies: Jofra Archer to boost England against West Indies in key clash

SOUTHAMPTON: When England take on the West Indies at the Hampshire Bowl here on Friday, all eyes are set to be trained on one man: Jofra Archer.



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Generating high speeds with his almost deceptively simple action, Archer has created tremendous excitement around himself. In the last game, he cranked it up, hurling a few deliveries in the region of 95mph (150 kmph) to send the ball flying all the way for a ‘six’ after it hit Soumya Sarkar’s stumps. For connoisseurs of genuine fast bowling, this was a sight to behold.

Though he’s had one bad game (0 for 79 in 10 overs) against Pakistan at Trent Bridge, Archer’s three- wicket hauls have been instrumental in shaping England’s wins over South Africa and Bangladesh. However, the clash against the West Indies involves both the cricketing and emotional aspects for Archer. Born in Barbados, the 24-year-old played at the under-19 level for the West Indies before switching to England. This will be his first game against the West Indies in an English shirt.

That the West Indies themselves possess an array of exciting batsmen in their line-up makes the battle doubly exciting, weather permitting.

The Caribbeans seem to be prepared for the fiery pace that one of their former players would like to unleash on them. A couple of days back, head coach Floyd Reifer said: “To be honest, we knew Jofra for a long time. He is from Barbados, where we are from. We knew him from his U-15, U-17 and U-19 days, so he is not new to us. Yes, he’s bowling fast, but there’s nothing that we are not accustomed to. We are looking forward to the challenge. So, we will see how it goes on Friday.”

On the eve of the clash, West Indies captain praised Archer, while stressing that this contest wasn’t about him versus the West Indies alone. “I have seen Jofra over the years. He is obviously a Barbadian. He’s grown up in Barbados playing cricket, so what you see and what I’m seeing of Jofra doesn’t surprise me. He is one of those guys who has always had ability and talent. It is just unfortunate how things went in terms of his decision-making (him switching to pay for England) ,” said Holder.

Wood doubtful, Buttler fit
Meanwhile, in what could be a big blow for England, who have four points from three games, Archer’s new ball partner Mark Wood could miss out here due to an ankle injury. He will undergo a fitness test on Friday morning.

Wood actually beat Archer during their ‘pace war’ against Bangladesh in Cardiff by bowling the fastest ball (154kmph) of the World Cup so far, and his absence robs them of a bowler who has the pace and the skill to stop a dangerous batsman like Chris Gayle. This would also be good news to the other West Indies batsmen.

“His ankle is a little bit sore at the moment,” England captain Eoin Morgan said. “We haven’t bowled for a few days so it depends on how he feels when he bowls in the morning. If it’s still sore, we probably won’t take a risk.”

However, England were relieved that their champion wicketkeeper-batsman Jos Buttler has recovered from a bruised hip, which prevented him from taking the field after batting against Bangladesh. On Thursday, Buttler was able to take part in training even as rain confined the England nets to mostly indoors.

What also adds spice to this match is England coach Trevor Bayliss’ statement about his dislike for West Indies paceman Sheldon Cottrell’s ‘army salute’ celebration after taking a wicket.