Ready to bloom Archer's fine form in IPL may offer seeds of hope for England's vanishing window

his season, in an attempt to distract everyone from the fact that its main sponsors are one of the world's largest steel companies and the literal state of Saudi Arabia, the Tata Indian Premier League has been planting trees for every dot ball bowled during the tournament.

- Jonathan Liew

At the post-match presentation, the bowler who delivered the most dot balls is awarded a ceremonial sapling. Which means that on four occasions this season - the most of any player - Jofra Archer has been contractually obliged to receive a small tree on live television.

The first time Archer gets his sapling, he eyes it with the kind of narrow-eyed suspicion any of us might exhibit. By the time he gets his fourth sapling - 10 dot balls against Delhi Capitals, 180 trees planted - he's basically a pro at this. Shake hands. Look into the camera. Gaze at the sapling tenderly, as if he's going to plant it himself, in his own garden, and definitely not throwing it straight into the first bin he finds.

And in a way, Archer's growing collection of saplings represents perhaps the only material reward for what has been a largely thankless season of toil for Rajasthan Royals. Third bottom of the IPL table. For the Royals this has been a chastening 2025, a fiesta of dropped catches, botched chases and weird selection decisions. Still: 234 trees for 13 dot balls against Chennai, 252 trees for 14 dot balls against Punjab Kings. Perhaps, amid all the carnage, something good can come of all this.