World Cup: The Jofra Archer show against SA just made England’s case as favourites a lot stronger

In this era of One-Day Internationals, bowlers are largely at the mercy of batsmen. With each passing season, the balance between bat and ball seems to be tilting in one direction only. Having said that, as far as fast-bowlers are concerned, there’s at least one all-season weapon at their disposal – raw pace.

No matter how batting-friendly the conditions are, a bowler hovering around the 90 mph mark will always be a handful. The fear of getting hit by that hard leather ball can unsettle the best. And fiery pace does more than just intimidate, it compels a batsman’s muscles to move differently at the crease. Concern for one’s own physical well-being can lead to those ever-so-subtle adjustments while preparing to face a delivery. And once that happens, it’s a different ball-game altogether.

This point was driven home during England’s 104-run victory against South Africa in the 2019 ICC World Cup opener on Thursday. The second ball of the third over in South Africa’s innings saw Hashim Amla dabbing Jofra Archer for a four to the third man fence. It was the first boundary the fast-bowler had conceded and he wasn’t too pleased. The next ball was slightly shorter, with some extra juice in it. Amla attempted a pull but ended up getting hit near the box. Although he didn’t show much discomfort, it looked like a painful blow.

The effect of that delivery was seen two balls later. After slipping in a slower-ball, Archer bent his back and bowled a bumper at 145 kmph. Amla once again went for a pull but was too late. He had just 0.47 seconds to react and before he knew it, the ball had crashed flush into his grille.

There was a collective gasp around The Oval as the right-hander got rid his helmet. A quick concussion test by the physio and the 36-year-old was taken off the field, retired hurt. One of the finest batsmen in world cricket over the past decade had been taken out of the equation with sheer pace.

Archer’s next big victim was South Africa’s captain Faf du Plessis. The right-hander got drawn into a pull against a 149 kmph bouncer. The best he could do was manage a top-edge, which was caught safely at deep square-leg. It was a nothing shot from the 34-year-old. The speed on the ball was more than he’d anticipated and he simply threw his bat at it.

“Their top four tried to play a-shot-a-ball. I’m not sure if that was because Jofra’s pace was getting their beans going,” said Ben Stokes after the match.

England’s latest pace sensation also accounted for the wickets of Aiden Markram and Rassie van der Dussen, both of whom are crucial to South Africa’s middle-order.

In his very first World Cup match, Archer returned with figures of 3/27 from 7 overs. In a contest that saw as many as 13 players bowling – including the likes of Kagiso Rabada, Imran Tahir and Adil Rashid – his economy-rate of 3.86 was by far the best. Stokes may have won the player of the match for his all-round show, but few will argue with the fact that Archer was the hosts’ X-factor.

Bowling attack gets teeth

Heading into this World Cup, England have been widely regarded as the team to beat. That, of course, is entirely due to their record-breaking batting. Their bowlers, on the other hand, conceded 1,356 runs in four matches against Pakistan in their last ODI series. For captain Eoin Morgan, the ploy over the past few years has been simple – score as many runs as possible to have a cushion with the ball in hand.

With Archer’s performance against South Africa, though, England’s case as World Cup favourties has gotten even stronger. They now have a fast-bowler who can instill fear in the opposition and lend that much-needed balance to the attack. With Rashid and Moeen Ali operating in the middle overs, and Archer smashing that short-of-good-length at the top, England suddenly have a bowling line-up that isn’t a liability.

“Archer bowled well with the new ball and a lot of guys have not played against him,” Du Plessis said after the match on Thursday. “It will take time for international teams to get used to his action because he is a bit nippier than you think when he hits the crease. It is why he is an X-factor bowler. He broke through our top three and it was always going to be a hard task from there.”

‘A bit nippier than you think’ is probably the most accurate way to describe what Archer brings to the table. He strides in towards to the crease at a comfortable pace, doesn’t have a high jump, but still bowls a heavy ball. Whether it’s his impeccable body balance, near-perfect bracing of the front leg, high-arm action, strong genes, or all of it that helps him generate such power, it’s hard to tell. But one thing seems certain – he has all the makings of a future star in English cricket.

The 24-year-old wasn’t picked in England’s preliminary squad in April. He impressed in the Indian Premier League, his ODI debut against Ireland, and the one-and-a-half ODIs against Pakistan to sneak into the final squad. Credit must go to England for backing a rookie in their quest of a first World Cup title. Their faith in the youngster may just prove to be the clincher at the end of it all.