McCullum backs Archer's fire, rules out batting-order shake-up

England head coach Brendon McCullum has backed Jofra Archer's intensity and ruled out any 'knee-jerk' changes to England's settled top seven, pushing back against growing scrutiny following the Brisbane Test defeat.

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Archer and Smith got involved in some heated verbals on Day 4 of the Gabba Test. (Getty)

((Getty))

Archer came under the spotlight on the final day of the Day-Night Test when he bowled the fastest spell of his career and even indulged in verbals with Steve Smith at a time when Australia were chasing a fourth-innings target of 65 runs. There were questions raised including by James Anderson about the absence of sustained hostility when Australia were racking up 511 runs in the first innings.

McCullum defended Archer's approach, pointing to the realities of fast bowling and the danger of judging intent purely through speed. "Jofra is good," McCullum said. "He can say what he wants but if you mope around bowling 75 mile an hour in that last innings then the narrative [would] be very different right in the end.