The Ashes: Archer goes easy on Smith as wind causes havoc on rain-affected day one at Old Trafford
JOFRA ARCHER went soft on Steve Smith as their rematch turned into a one-sided joyride for the Aussie.
Instead of the bouncer barrage we were expecting, Archer offered up a string of far more gentle deliveries that Smith could probably have played in his sleep.
His speed barely exceeded the mid-80s — 10mph slower than the ferocious spell at Lord’s last month that left Smith concussed and being examined in hospital.
Smith was barely troubled as he breezed his way to 60 not out on day one of the Fourth Test at Old Trafford.
It was his eighth straight Ashes half-century — an all-time record. Australia finished a rain-interrupted day with 170-3 and in control.
Archer would have wanted to examine Smith’s courage and technique by whistling deliveries towards his head.
But his pace was reduced to pedestrian, apparently because of the wind that whistled across Old Trafford for much of the day.
He simply could not find any decent rhythm.
He bowled from both ends but his hostility was missing no matter what he tried.
Archer went from being one of the fastest and most hostile England bowlers ever on his debut to what might be described as a fast- medium trundler in his third Test.
The wind can be used as some sort of mitigation but the fact remains that Archer’s bowling was tame by his previous standards.
Captain Joe Root also used Archer sparingly when Smith came in to bat. At lunch, Smith had faced 42 deliveries but only seven of them from England’s fastest bowler.
Root will be desperate for Archer to rediscover his tempo on day two.
It was all very disappointing because England were desperate to nail down the momentum created by their heroics at Headingley.
There is no doubt the wind was fierce after tea, with bails, umpires’ hats, rubbish and even a beach ball flying everywhere.
Craig Overton, who dismissed Marnus Labuschagne for 67, reckoned that is why Archer’s speed was down.
Overton said: “We all tended to struggle with the wind, I wouldn’t look too much into it.
“Jofra will be raring to go again tomorrow, firing in and bowling as quick as he can and, hopefully, taking a few wickets.
“It was difficult to find rhythm in the run-up. You feel like you’re getting to the crease and all of a sudden the wind hits you and pushes you forward. You have to shorten your stride.”
Smith is so good, of course, that he could probably have scored runs if he were batting in a hurricane and Archer and Co were bowling at 200mph.
It was another astonishing effort by the former captain.
Smith began the series with twin centuries in his first Test following his sandpaper ban and is now on his way to another three-figure score after taking a sickening blow to the neck.
His only innings since being struck at Lord’s was one of 23 against Derbyshire last week.
But he has faced hundreds of balls in the nets from his own team’s fast bowlers and with the bowling machine ramped up to maximum velocity.
It was like he had never been away. The usual tics and twitches were there — the more he concentrates, the more extreme they become — and he was ominously solid.
At nets on Tuesday, a young Lancashire academy left-arm spinner called Jack Morley had apparently managed to dismiss Smith.
England’s own leftie, Jack Leach, did not cause many problems but, worryingly with Nathan Lyon in the opposition, he extracted some turn on day one.
After two early wickets for Stuart Broad, Smith and Labuschagne put on 116 for the third wicket as Australia got back on an even keel following the shock of their defeat at Leeds.
Labuschagne has passed 50 in each of his four innings since coming into the team as Smith’s concussion sub.
The Aussies have stumbled across their best batting line-up almost by chance.
Broad continued his amazing domination of David Warner in this series by dismissing him for the fifth time. Warner shaped to leave his second ball then attempted to play it — but he succeeded only in edging a catch to Jonny Bairstow.
Marcus Harris survived a strong lbw shout against Broad in the opening over but was soon given out to the same bowler.
Most of the talk in this series has been about Archer, Ben Stokes and Smith but, on the quiet, Broad is having a superb time.
One day into the Fourth Test and he has 16 wickets.
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Archer’s first few offerings were short of his normal pace and, even though there was a huge cheer when he first bowled to Smith, his pace barely increased.
Labuschagne eventually had his off bail trimmed by Overton but Smith remains.
Archer and England need to crank up the velocity today.
