Since 2024, Jofra Archer has featured in eight ODIs, averaging an abysmal 55.57 and leaking 6.17 runs per over.
You look at England’s pace-bowling lineup, and you find quality. Among them is Jofra Archer, the most skilled of the lot. He is also injury-free for now, even if he often grimaces during his spell.
There’s pace, there’s bounce, as you’d expect from Archer. But he is not really the same Archer; the one known for his sheer quality, the one known for his sheer consistency, immaculate lines and lengths, and extra zip off the deck.
Since 2024, Archer has featured in eight ODIs, averaging an abysmal 55.57 and leaking 6.17 runs per over. He has been all over the place in white-ball cricket, and it is not a skill issue. There’s never a skill issue with Archer.
But he has lacked significant control with his lines, something unlike him. When Archer is at his peak, he bowls in the stump or just outside the off-stump line and skids the ball from the middle. Unfortunately, that hasn’t happened since last year, for he bowls too many wide deliveries on either side of the stumps.
We have the data from the only ODI he played against India in Nagpur earlier this year. The beehive clearly shows that while Archer has consistently bowled shorter lengths, he has completely lost control. The lines are nowhere close to the stumps.
The injuries might have had a role in him losing his control. It’s never easy for pacers to return after as many setbacks as Archer and still bowl with the same consistency. But he has now played enough cricket to get into his groove and bowl tighter.
One reason for his erratic lines has been too many short deliveries from the start. While Archer has the pace and generates extra bounce, he has tried to bounce every batter out, which won’t work in ODIs. Short lengths are not the only way to go in the 50-over format, and Archer needs to learn it.
Also Read:
It worked during the initial phase of his ODI career because he was relatively new. Batters were still trying to understand his modus operandi. But even then, Archer used to pitch up slightly and had immense control over his lines, as visible in the post below.
Now he bowls too short rather than bowling those immaculate hard lengths, which might be part of the plan. But Archer’s lengths are hit-me without line control, and those susceptible to short deliveries won’t have too many issues either. The likes of Abhishek Sharma and Shreyas Iyer, relatively weak against hard and short lengths, had no problems taking him down in the white-ball series.
And it’s a systematic issue under this new management. The plan has been to bowl shorter lengths at a high pace at any stage, which, unfortunately, won’t work in modern-day cricket. That pace will only aid batters if there’s no variation in lines, lengths or delivery type.
For instance, we take England’s latest game against Australia in the Champions Trophy 2025. Compare Nathan Ellis, whose economy rate was 5.10, with English pacers, who conceded 8.59 runs per over. The interesting part is that Ellis bowled more slower balls (41.26%) than England speedsters (39.87%).
But he wasn’t predictable with his high pace and mixed his slower ones brilliantly with on-pace deliveries. Ellis bowled 26.98% of slower ones in his spell compared to 13.49% by all three English pacers combined. On Rawalpindi’s deck where the ball came quickly, especially in the second innings, England pacers didn’t show bowling smarts.
Archer has been the culprit of this faulty plan by the team management. He bowled exceptionally well in the T20 World Cup 2024, using angles well and trying enough pace-off deliveries. He even bowled good yorkers and pitched deliveries up whenever required.
The plan to attack with an out-and-out pace works with someone like Mark Wood, who doesn’t have a great slower delivery or variations. Given his natural lengths and limited tools, the team expects Wood to bounce out batters, which is a wise strategy. That shouldn’t apply to Archer, who is way more skilled and possesses more variations to operate.
He registered his second-most expensive ODI figures in Rawalpindi, which should be enough to be an eye-opener. Archer is smart enough to construct his over properly without being a one-trick pony. Maybe he doesn’t need too many brains around him to regain his beast self.
For more updates, follow CricXtasy on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Telegram, and YouTube.
