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After shipping 1,000 runs, bringing back Archer is a risk England must take
The Guardian
|July 08, 2025
Tradition usually dictates that after a batting lineup fails in the manner that England's largely did on a flat one at Edgbaston - four ducks among the top six, just two men passing 50, 157.4 overs batted to India's 234 - a bowler or two must pay the price.
Given the short turnaround, and with admittedly some merit after shipping more than 1,000 runs in a home Test for just the second time in history, this will come to pass at Lord's on Thursday. All signs point to Jofra Archer's return. A risk? Undoubtedly.
After four years of injury struggles and a slow burn of a comeback in the white-ball formats, a mere 18 overs of priming in county cricket feels skinny.
But it is a risk England can scarcely afford not to take given the swing in momentum that has occurred this past week. Shubman Gill's Bradman-esque start to this series demands a fresh line of attack. Oh, and Jasprit Bumrah is about to augment an India bowling unit that outshone the hosts, not least when the Dukes ball was new.
Who makes way is the question. Provided the medical staff can patch him up, Chris Woakes should stay put. Had a couple of umpire's calls gone his way on the first morning, he could have easily walked off at stumps, setting the match on a different course. And his record at Lord's is impressive: 32 wickets at 13.92 runs apiece and an unbeaten 137 against India in 2018.
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