Jofra Archer gives momentum to England Ashes but batting concerns ahead of Test series in Australia | Cricket News

If Jofra Archer bowls against Australia the same way he bowled against New Zealand in the second One-Day International, England might win the Ashes, but even if the teams put in a similar batting performance, they probably won’t.

Let’s start with the positive.

Archer had an excellent performance in Hamilton on Wednesday, scoring 51 dot balls and four maidens, posting figures of 3-23 from 10 overs. He recorded a top speed of 90 mph and averaged around 88 mph.

A scorching show began in the first over of the run chase for the Blackcaps, the wicket maidens, when the paceman cut Will Young on the half-third ball and trapped him lbw for his next duck.

The great Kane Willamson was welcomed into the crease with his extravagant seam movement and LBW appeal on his second delivery. Fortunately for New Zealand it is too expensive.

The movement, bounce, speed and hostility continued during the five-over opener, during which Archer could only hit eight runs off the bat, including seven and a wide.

Williamson also almost got cut out, but the ball fell short of wicketkeeper Buttler after the batsman fumbled with the ball that came to him.

Archer loosened up a bit in the ensuing fifth set, and the wickets of Rachin Ravindra and Michal Bracewell were not due to great bowling, but they quickly gained momentum and the sight of batsmen flying around was a real inspiration for England in the Ashes.

White-ball captain Harry Brook said of Archer: “He’s great to watch. He’s an X-factor player who hoops both ways at 90-95 miles per hour. Everybody loves watching him.”

Archer burst onto the Test scene at home against Australia in 2019, taking 22 wickets in four Tests, including six fours at Headingley and Keir Oval, and hitting Steve Smith during a scorching spell at Lord’s.

The shock caused Smith to miss the next Test at Leeds, leaving him feeling like he had “drunk a dozen beers”.

Australian fans may have downed a few beers on Wednesday as they toasted Smith’s 100 for New South Wales ahead of this year’s Ashes. Just as England supporters were weeping over their morning cuppas after another disastrous display in New Zealand. Brook’s 135 off 101 balls accounted for 60.53 percent of the points, following his 223 on Sunday, when he scored 175.

Batting blips continue ahead of Ashes opener

A 4-0 defeat against Australia in 2021/22 and a 2-2 draw at home in 2023 saw England’s seamer sidelined through injury, denying a Smith-Archer encounter in Test cricket for seven years.

But now, that conflict is about to happen again. If Archer comes out on top, tourists’ hopes of getting their hands on the first urn in more than a decade will rise dramatically.

But moving on to the negatives from the second ODI in New Zealand. That’s batting.

If there was any relief for England, who plummeted to 10-4 and 56-6 at Mt Maunganui at the weekend – swing and seam degrees on the first powerplay were 1.31 and 0.89 respectively – Hamilton probably doesn’t have much of an excuse. Swing decreased to 0.69 degrees and seam movement decreased to 0.57 during this period.

Ashes certain Ben Duckett, Jamie Smith and Joe Root each nicked off, spooned to backward point and glanced down the leg side within 12 overs, while potential Test starter Jacob Bethel smashed down the throat of deep square leg at number 17 one ball after drinking.

Brook was urging hitters to “try harder” after Sunday’s shocker in preparation for a big catch from Young, but sometimes it makes sense to go smarter. Bethel may be thinking about doing just that, especially with the Ashes spot potentially up for grabs.

Tauranga’s Zach Foakes out to Jaffa in the first ODI, this meek dismissal of Nathan Smith (Foakes the catcher) leaves Bethel with one more ODI before staking his claim to dislodge number three Ollie Pope in next month’s Ashes warm-up against the England Lions.

With the Ashes in mind, perhaps we shouldn’t read too much into England’s ODI batting problems. Because this is a format the team is currently struggling to understand: 13 losses in their last 18 games, regularly bowled out, and No. 8 in the world rankings.

For The Ashes, Smith would drop to seventh, but Zak Crawley and (if fit) Ben Stokes would return. Pope, too, seems more and more likely to stick at No. 3 with each inning he gets in Bethel. Test cricket is England’s bread and butter and the arena in which they feel most comfortable.

But the problem is that these ODIs are Ashes preparations. Gone are the days of many matches being played on tour, such as England enjoyed before beating Australia 3-1 in 2010/11. Due to our packed schedules, acclimatization is almost forgotten.

That hasn’t affected England, led by captain Stokes and Brendon McCullum, who have won the first Test of every away series since the pair took charge – twice in Pakistan, twice in New Zealand and once in India – but ultimately lost 4-1 in India in 2024 and 2-1 in Pakistan later that year.

So preparation may be overrated, especially if you have an archer in your XI. However, Australia must not have overlooked these weaknesses in their batting.

New Zealand vs England match results and schedule

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Ashes Series in Australia 2025-26

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First Test: Friday 21st November – Tuesday 25th November (2.30am) – Optus Stadium, Perth Second Test (day/night): Thursday 4th December – Monday 8th December (4.30am) – The Gabba, Brisbane Third Test: Wednesday 17th December – Sunday 21st December (12am) – Adelaide Oval Fourth Test: Thursday 25th December – Monday 29th December (11.30pm) – Melbourne Cricket Ground Fifth Test: Sunday 4th January – Thursday 8th January (11.30pm) – Sydney Cricket Ground