England have to be careful with the workload and expectations of Jofra Archer, according to Ashley Giles.
Archer bowled 42 overs in the first innings of the first Test; easily the most of England’s seamers and more than Stuart Broad has ever bowled in a single Test innings.
But while Joe Root said afterwards he couldn’t fault Archer’s effort, he did hint that some spells were more potent than others.
“He’s got to learn that sometimes you’ve got to make sure every spell count,” Root said. “You really have got to run in and use that extra pace to your advantage.
“In many ways I can’t fault his effort, bowling the amount he has done throughout the innings shows that he cares and he wants to put in for this team. But I think there are certain spells where he can just unleash a little bit more. That will come with experience and time.”
While Giles, the director of England men’s cricket, did not explicitly contradict Root, he did suggest that a “hell of a lot” was being expected from Archer and insisted England “have to look after him.” The Test at the Bay Oval was Archer’s first with a Kookaburra ball and fifth in total.
“Jofra is gold for us and we have got to look after him,” Giles said. “We have to be careful how much we think we’re going to get out of him every day. And on a pitch that placid, it was pretty hard work. We’ve got to look after him. He’s really important for our future.
“We’re expecting a hell of a lot from a young bloke just to run in and bowl 95 mph every day. It’s not going to happen, whether that’s just because he’s young or because he’s not played a lot of cricket. We’ve got to help him through that.”
With Archer having developed outside the English system – he was born in Barbados and spent most of his formative years in the Caribbean – there is limited data, by comparison with other young England cricketers, available to the team management on his skills and limitations. Equally, the team management are still getting to know him as a man and learning what motivates him.
“That’s an ongoing conversation for us,” Giles said. “Culturally he is different. We all are [different to one another] to a degree. We have got to respect every one of our team and team-mates have to respect each other. We’re all different and we all need different management styles.”
After Archer’s labours at the Bay Oval, he will be assessed before any decision is made over his availability for the second Test. England travelled to Hamilton on Tuesday and have two training days, on Wednesday and Thursday, ahead of the second match which starts on Friday.
“He got through a decent workload there so we’ll will have to see how he pulls up to be honest,” Chris Silverwood, the head coach, said. “I wouldn’t say he bowled too many overs: you have to do what’s in front of you in Test cricket. But we’ll have to see how the bowlers pull up and make some decisions from there.
“We want every ball to be an effort ball, really. Having been a fast bowler, that was my job: you come in and bowl hard and for that short period of time you try and make something happen.
“It’s difficult to make every ball an effort ball. Your body hurts at times, there’s no two ways about it. As you get older your body hurts every day. You’ve just got to choose to do it, really.
“But we’ve just got to remember to manage the expectations on Jofra. He’s still very young in his Test career and he’s learning all the time. He’s bowling with a Kookaburra ball now and, as we’ve seen, it’s not like bowling with a Dukes, and he is learning to bowl on wickets that are probably alien to him.
“But I thought the way Jofra bowled on Saturday morning was fantastic. If he can get that as a starting point, I think we’ll be in for a treat.”
Source: ESPN Crickinfo