Follow UsJofra Archer and Ben Stokes have been string mates ever since their ODI World Cup 2019 days when they both combined to give England their first ever ODI World Cup title at home.
The camaraderie was seen once again in the Lord’s Test against India, when Archer, making a comeback into the national red-ball side after four years, was entrusted by captain Stokes with the responsibility of defending 192 against India on a day five wicket.
Archer did that brilliantly as England managed to win the Test and take a crucial 2-1 lead, which they still hold with one match to go.
The duo were at it against the Indian team at Manchester as well, but were unable to get through this time as Ravindra Jadeja was dropped off Archer by Root on his very first ball. In the end, it turned out to be a costly mistake as India drew the game.
Former England captain Nasser Hussain described the friendship between Stokes and Archer as one where they do not let complacency seep into it at all.
“Ben knows what makes Jofra Archer tick. There’s a huge amount of respect between the two of them and I said to you in the other game. At Lord’s, exactly the same happened,” Hussain was quoted as saying on Sky Sports by the Indian Express.
Hussain also explained how Stokes exactly knows how to fuel Archer and bring the best out of hin.
“Stokes has that mentality: ‘I am your friend, and I’ll look after you, but I am not your best friend’. If you don’t quite get it right, I will have a word with you. Even here, you see, he is having a word with him, but in a nice way.
“I think you know your premier fast bowlers, you know your cricketers. I think Archer is actually a better bowler when he is a little fired up and his legs start pumping a little bit,” added the 57-year-old.
It would be interesting to see if Stokes will persist with Archer even for the fifth Test, given the fact that workload management is a crucial part of the latter’s cricketing career now. Archer missed over four years of Test cricket due to various injuries.