He last featured in an ODI on September 7.
Subtract some express pace from England’s average speeds in the first ODI against New Zealand! Speedster Jofra Archer will not be featuring in the fixture scheduled to be played at Mount Maunganui on October 26.
The news comes after the English side are expected to preserve their bowlers ahead of the first Test of the Ashes series, which commences in Perth on November 21. The visitors are taking a full-strength bowling unit Down Under, and they would be focusing on managing the workload for their bowlers especially.
The 30-year-old was already rested from the ongoing T20I series against New Zealand, and is expected to arrive in New Zealand on Thursday with teammates Josh Tongue and Mark Wood.
It was not long ago when the 30-year-old not just troubled, but humiliated the Australians on English soil. From Steve Smith to Marnus Labuschagne, who came in as a concussion replacement, Archer had everyone bamboozled.
When the batter who is next in line thinks twice before coming out, you know you’re bowling well. And Archer has the potential to not just bowl well, but send shivers down the spine of oppositions. And hence, there is no doubt whether he can rattle the Aussies.
But there’s a difference. This time, it is the Australians’ den they’re playing in. The conditions in Australia will not be very similar to the ones in England, and that is where Archer and the English bowling unit will have to be accurate.
To add to the fun, Jofra Archer has not played a single Test match on Australian soil. The first challenge for Archer would be to adapt to the conditions on offer quickly. The hosts would not be very welcoming, and can make the use of the pace of Jofra Archer if he goes wayward.
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The Three Lions have named a total of seven bowlers for the coveted five-match Test series against Australia. However, only Brydon Carse and Jofra Archer are playing a role in the white-ball series against New Zealand currently.
Speedster Gus Atkinson has been with the squad for more than a week, but is working on his own fitness and improvements for the tour Down Under. Furthermore, Mark Wood and Josh Tongue are expected to join Atkinson for their own training.
Out of the seven pacers named in the Ashes squad, only Matthew Potts would not be spending any time in New Zealand. His arrival would be delayed due to his participation in all the three Durham Finals in the County Championship. However, England have scheduled only a solitary warm-up fixture ahead of the coveted Test series.
“We’ve worked so hard to get to this point. It is the last little step. So we get this bit right and hopefully we have every option available to us going into that first Test in Perth”, Rob Key, England’s managing director said about their preparations.
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