ben duckett was not the only headline at The Oval, but Jofra Archer’s return to England Test cricket changed the shape of day one in the second Test against New Zealand. The 31-year-old took 1-58 from 19 overs and delivered an eight-over spell of short-pitched bowling to Glenn Phillips late in the evening session.
Archer’s spell held Phillips scoreless for 36 minutes. By stumps, New Zealand were 291-7, with Phillips unbeaten on 49 and England having asked them to bat first after winning the toss.
Archer's return at The Oval
Archer played his first England Test since Adelaide in December, a return that came after he missed the series opener at Lord’s because of IPL commitments. England’s bowling options were already thin, with Ollie Robinson injured and Gus Atkinson and Ben Stokes suspended.
He made an early dent in the innings when Tom Latham edged a leading ball to gully in Archer’s second spell of the day. The figures were tidy rather than overwhelming, but the pace and length of the evening burst were the part that stood out.
Phillips under pressure
Phillips stayed in for the long haul and finished the day unbeaten on 49, but Archer forced him into a spell where the runs stopped and the body blows mounted. Nasser Hussain called the duel, “Brilliant cricket, this. Brilliant”, then added, “It's up there with some of the great spells from fast bowlers here [at The Oval]: Devon Malcolm against South Africa in 1994, the West Indies' Michael Holding in 1976 against England.”
Simon Doull said, “This is why we want Archer playing Test cricket more often” and, “This is the sort of situation Archer thrives in. He brings so much to the game and you could hear the crowd.” He also noted Phillips’ response, saying, “The thing I loved too about Phillips was that he watched the ball very closely more often than not, even when it was whizzing past his grille.”
England's attack at The Oval
The final stretch of the day showed both the value and the risk of England leaning on Archer again. He brought a live pace option back into the side and produced a spell built on short balls, but New Zealand still reached 291-7 and kept Phillips at the crease into the close. Doull summed up the contest at stumps: “Terrific stuff from both. Two really tough competitors going at it. It's what you want to see.”
That leaves England with a fit fast bowler back in the Test side, and with the series moving on from the opening day at The Oval, Archer’s workload and use with the new-ball attack will stay central to how they manage the rest of the match.
