Eoin Morgan looks set to unleash the pace of Jofra Archer and Mark Wood on Pakistan on Monday, even though the England captain had been keen to temper expectations ahead of this mouthwatering prospect.
Wood sat out the opening victory over South Africa but with Sarfaraz Ahmed’s side having been blown away by a barrage of short-pitched bowling from West Indies at Trent Bridge – 105 all out – the temptation to do the same is obvious.
Morgan’s two 90mph-plus men were deployed together against Pakistan during last month’s ODI in Nottingham. They took three wickets between them in a match of 681 runs, with Wood also forcing Imam-ul-Haq to retire hurt when he struck the opener’s elbow.
Archer’s performance at the Oval last Thursday, in which he claimed three for 27 and forced Hashim Amla off the field with a blow to the head, certainly put the rest of the world on notice.
Morgan, speaking before practice was affected by rain, is wary of talking up his new asset. “Nobody can bowl fast every game, we have seen that with our fast bowlers in the past. It’s just not possible. It’s like when you have a high-quality batsman who averages over 50, he’s not going to get 100 every game. So take every day as it comes when it comes to Jofra.”
On the prospect of Wood in tandem, he said: “It is exciting. But it’s like saying can you add a Jason Roy 180 to a Jos Buttler 150, both of them off 70 or 80 balls. It might happen. If it does that would be awesome … [but] we just have to wait and see. It’s all on potential.”
Liam Plunkett, the bowler expected to make way for Wood, did little wrong against South Africa, performing his usual role of smashing cross-seam balls into the surface during the middle overs and being rewarded with the wickets of Amla and Quinton de Kock.
Tom Curran could also enter the frame for Chris Woakes if England decide they have the new ball covered but need more variations during the middle and death overs on the same pitch that produced world-record totals of 444 for three in 2016 and 481 for six last summer.
A boon for England comes in the shape of Ben Stokes, who against South Africa produced his best performance since the Bristol incident in 2017 with 89 runs, two wickets, a run-out and two catches – including that flying effort in the deep.
Morgan added: “Ben has been unbelievable. His work ethic, his mentality around the changing room and his performance all working towards what happened the other day – contributing in all three facets of the game.
“When he puts in a performance like that it is great, not only for English cricket, but for the sport. Everyone from five years old to 75 who watched the game can relate to taking a great catch, taking a wicket and scoring runs, having one of those days where you do nothing wrong. For the sport, it is awesome.
“It is great for him to start the tournament like that. When his confidence is high, it rubs off on other guys. It’s infectious in the changing room and on the field.”
