the times | Tuesday September 15 2020 2GM 57
CricketSport
Vitality T20 Blast
South group
Sussex v Essex
Hove (Sussex Sharks won toss): Essex
Eagles (2pts) beat Sussex (0) by 12 runs
Essex (balls)
T Westley c MacLeod b Rawlins 39 (25)
C S Delport c Brown b Robinson 1 (5)
D W Lawrence c Rawlins b Mills 81 (44)
†M S Pepper not out 34 (24)
R N Ten Doeschate lbw b Rawlins 1 (3)
P I Walter b Briggs 9 (9)
*S R Harmer not out 21 (11)
Extras (lb 1, w 8, nb 2) 11
Total (5 wkts, 20 overs) 197
M R Quinn, J H Plom, A S S Nijjar and S Cook
did not bat.
Fall of wickets 1-2, 2-120, 3-130, 4-136, 5-150.
Bowling Garton 4-0-35-0; Robinson 3-1-28-1;
Briggs 3-0-36-1; Mills 3-0-31-1; Bopara
2-0-24-0; Wiese 2-0-24-0; Rawlins 3-0-18-2.
Sussex (balls)
*L J Wright c Harmer b Quinn 20 (13)
A D Thomason c Quinn b Lawrence 47 (36)
C S MacLeod lbw b Harmer 9 (12)
D M W Rawlins c Westley b Lawrence 37(20)
D Wiese c Harmer b Cook 30 (17)
R S Bopara c Plom b Walter 7 (6)
G H S Garton c Westley b Cook 2 (6)
†B C Brown not out 15 (7)
O E Robinson run out 0 (1)
D R Briggs not out 2 (2)
Extras (b 4, lb 6, w 6) 16
Total (8 wkts, 20 overs) 185
T S Mills did not bat.
Fall of wickets 1-29, 2-60, 3-119, 4-122, 5-152,
6-168, 7-169, 8-170.
Bowling Cook 3-0-25-2; Quinn 4-0-37-1; Plom
3-0-23-0; Harmer 4-0-43-1; Nijjar 3-0-28-0;
Delport 1-0-10-0; Lawrence 1-0-3-2; Walter
1-0-6-1.Hampshire v Kent
Ageas Bowl (Kent Spitfires won toss): Kent
Spitfires (2pts) beat Hampshire (0) by eight
wickets
Hampshire (balls)
T P Alsop c Cox b Denly 1 (3)
*J M Vince c Milnes b Qayyum 48 (46)
S A Northeast c Blake b Stewart 37 (28)
J Weatherley c Bell-Drummond b Milnes 17 (13)
J K Fuller not out 50 (23)
†L D McManus run out 15 (6)
I G Holland c and b Klaassen 0 (1)
C P Wood not out 1 (2)Extras (lb 3, w 6, nb 4) 13
Total (6 wkts, 20 overs) 182
R Stevenson, M S Crane and S S Afridi did not bat.
Fall of wickets 1-2, 2-84, 3-98, 4-127, 5-175, 6-175.
Bowling Denly 4-0-30-1; Klaassen 3-0-24-1;
Milnes 4-0-49-1; Stewart 4-0-40-1; Leaning 1-
0-5-0; Qayyum 4-0-31-1.Kent (balls)
Z Crawley not out 108 (54)
*D J Bell-Drummond c Crane b Holland12 (9)
J L Denly c Vince b Wood 38 (29)
H G Kuhn not out 19 (11)
Extras (lb 1, w 5) 6
Total (2 wkts, 17.1 overs) 183
A J Blake, J A Leaning, †J M Cox, G Stewart,
M E Milnes, F J Klaassen and I Qayyum did
not bat.
Fall of wickets 1-41, 2-162.
Bowling Afridi 4-0-36-0; Wood 3-0-34-1;
Holland 2.1-0-27-1; Stevenson 3-0-29-0; Crane
4-0-50-0; Vince 1-0-6-0.Middlesex v Surrey
Lord’s (Middlesex won toss): Surrey (2pts)
beat Middlesex (0) by 30 runs
Surrey (balls)
W G Jacks c Hollman b Murtagh 55 (30)H M Amla b Sowter 67 (49)
L J Evans c Andersson b Helm 26 (19)
R J Burns c Finn b Helm 25 (10)
J Overton run out 29 (12)
†B T Foakes not out 3 (2)
Extras (w 9, nb 4) 13
Total (5 wkts, 20 overs) 218
J L Smith, A A P Atkinson, *G J Batty, D
Moriarty and R J W Topley did not bat.
Fall of wickets 1-101, 2-136, 3-170, 4-183, 5-218.
Bowling Helm 4-0-44-2; Murtagh 4-0-35-1;
Finn 4-0-48-0; Sowter 4-0-42-1; Hollman 3-0-
28-0; Andersson 1-0-21-0.Middlesex (balls)
S S Eskinazi run out 77 (44)
M D E Holden c Smith b Atkinson 14 (15)
J B Cracknell b Batty 28 (21)
†J A Simpson c Smith b Moriarty 31 (18)
J L B Davies c Overton b Moriarty 8 (8)
M K Andersson not out 19 (11)
L B K Hollman not out 4 (4)
Extras (lb 2, w 3, nb 2) 7
Total (5 wkts, 20 overs) 188
T G Helm, N A Sowter, *S T Finn and T J
Murtagh did not bat.
Fall of wickets 1-32, 2-86, 3-151, 4-158, 5-163.
Bowling Topley 4-0-36-0; Jacks 4-0-23-0;
Atkinson 2-0-25-1; Overton 4-0-41-0; Moriarty
4-0-37-2; Batty 2-0-24-1.P WL T NR PtsNRR
Surrey 7411 1 10 0.39
Kent 7411 1 10 0.24
Sussex 7420 1 9 0.45
Middlesex 7231 1 6 -0.23
Essex 7141 1 4 -0.28
Hampshire 7150 1 3 -0.55North group
Yorkshire v Lancashire
Headingley Carnegie (Yorkshire Vikings
won toss): Lancashire Lightning (2pts) beat
Yorkshire (0) by six wickets
Yorkshire (balls)
H C Brook c Hartley b Wood 17 (9)
*A Lyth st Davies b Hartley 36 (20)
D J Malan c Bohannon b Parkinson 27 (24)
G C H Hill c Vilas b Parkinson 6 (12)
W A R Fraine c Davies b Wood 24 (15)
J H Wharton c Vilas b Parkinson 4 (10)
M W Pillans st Davies b Livingstone 5 (6)
J A Thompson lbw b Wood 1 (2)
†J A Tattersall not out 15 (12)
B O Coad c Livingstone b Lamb 7 (10)
J W Shutt not out 0 (0)
Extras (lb 1, w 2) 3
Total (9 wkts, 20 overs) 145Fall of wickets 1-30, 2-78, 3-87, 4-87, 5-104,
6-121, 7-123, 8-124, 9-139.
Bowling Croft 1-0-15-0; Bailey 1-0-15-0; Wood
4-0-21-3; Lamb 3-0-28-1; Hartley 4-0-17-1;
Livingstone 4-0-23-1; Parkinson 3-0-25-3.Lancashire (balls)
†A L Davies c Pillans b Thompson 5 (8)
L S Livingstone c Tattersall b Pillans 17 (8)
S J Croft run out 27 (17)
*D J Vilas not out 44 (36)
J J Bohannon b Coad 0 (5)
R P Jones not out 38 (35)
Extras (b 1, lb 3, w 9, nb 4) 17
Total (4 wkts, 17.5 overs) 148
D J Lamb, L Wood, T E Bailey, T Hartley and M
W Parkinson did not bat.
Fall of wickets 1-24, 2-35, 3-76, 4-77.
Bowling Coad 4-0-27-1; Pillans 3.5-0-43-1;
Thompson 4-0-28-1; Hill 2-0-14-0; Shutt
4-0-32-0.W L T NR Pts NRR
Notts Outlaws 7500 2 12 1.46
Lancashire 74 10 2 10 0.53
Leicestershire 7220 3 7 0.63
Yorkshire 7230 2 6 0.93
Durham 7240 1 5 0.21
Derbyshire 70 50 2 2 2.00Scoreboards
Archer tells
Holding to do
his research
everything that’s going on behind the
scenes. It is harsh of Mikey not to do
some research and criticise it, really.”
England and West Indies players and
coaches took a knee before each Test
match this summer and wore a Black
Lives Matter logo on their shirts but
that did not continue into the Pakistan
Tests, the T20 series or the limited-
overs series against Australia. The ECB
responded to Holding’s comments by
reiterating its commitment to its inclu-
sion and diversity strategy, with several
new initiatives being looked at to com-
bat barriers to participating in cricket
from within the Caribbean community.
Archer has been the subject of racial
abuse on social media and is known for
responding to his abusers. He has also
welcomed the increased crackdown by
social media platforms on those who
make racist comments. He said he
hoped that legislation will be brought in
that goes “a bit further”.
“A lot of stuff is being put into place,”
he said. “People can be prosecuted
easier but it might have to go a bit fur-
ther because some people aren’t wor-
ried about what can happen to them.
“I had one the other day — the guy
blamed it on being drunk. My mum
would always say, ‘You can’t think for
people.’ As long as there is social media
and the person doesn’t have to confront
you, it will still go on. “I feel the love
from the fans but there’s still a small
percentage, you know? I may be doing
well but I saw one lady comment on my
gold chain. Chains have nothing to do
with cricket. If she knew me she would
know I’ve worn chains from the time I
was 14 years old.
“I am strong enough to deal with it
but what happens when they target
someone who isn’t as mentally strong?
We’ve got to try and stamp it out as
much as possible.”continued from back
JON SUPER/AP“We have it in sight. We have done
great up until now and we just need
to go two more days and do it.”
There will be no rest for Archer yet.
He and the other England and
Australia players who have Indian
Premier League deals will fly to
Dubai on Thursday to join their
franchises for this year’s tournament,
which will take place behind closed
doors in the UAE over a period of
almost two months.
It is still far from clear when
England will next take to the field,
although hopes are rising that there
may be a short limited-overs tour to
South Africa before Christmas. Life in
the “new normal” looks set to carry
on for England’s most unique, if
misunderstood, talent.Test against West Indies after
breaking biosecure rules by going
home to Hove en route from
Southampton to Manchester.
“It has been mentally challenging,”
he said. “We’ve been in here for 16
weeks. It is going to be more rare
going home or being normal again.
Here [Emirates Old Trafford] has
become the new normal. We’ll have
to adjust again when we get some
time off.”
England’s thrilling comeback on
Sunday has set up a tantalising series
decider tomorrow. If England can
beat Australia, they will have won all
six series they have played this
summer. “When we first came into
the bubble, we said we wanted a clean
sweep of the summer,” Archer said.J Archer (2019-)
L Plunkett (2005-19)
A Flintoff (1999-09)
C Woakes (2011-)
K Ali (2003-06)
A Rashid (2009-)
S Broad (2006-16)
S Finn (2011-17)
J Tredwell (2010-15)
J Anderson (2002-15)
29.5
30.6
32.7
32.8
33.6
33.8
34.3
34.8
35
35.6
England’s best strike rates
No England bowler with more than
20 wickets averages fewer balls per
wicket in limited-overs cricketJ
ofra Archer had yet to put on
an England shirt 18 months
ago. Now the fast bowler is
integral to the team in all three
formats but, as he has shownin the past few days, it is with the
white ball that he is particularly
crucial.
While his performances with the
red ball this summer have raised
questions over what his best role in
the side should be and why he has
been unable to consistently reach his
top speeds, there is no quibbling
about his brilliance in the short
formats. On Sunday, he took three for
34 in two hostile spells to inspire
England to an extraordinary victory
in the second one-day international
against Australia to keep the three-
match series alive.
“With the white ball he hasn’t had a
bad day out yet,” Eoin Morgan, the
England limited-overs captain, said.
“It is so rare. Playing at the highest
level, you maybe have one in four or
five really good days, the rest you try
and contribute when you can. But he’s
continuing to prove he’s awesome to
have in our group.”
Archer, 25, provides Morgan with
an X factor that he can deploy either
with the new ball, in the middle overs
to break a partnership or at the death.
He has become so crucial it is easy to
forget that he has played only 31
international matches: 16 of them
one-day internationals in which he
has taken 29 wickets at an average of
22.75, with an economy rate of 4.62.
It is Archer’s raw pace, generated
from a surprisingly gentle and languid
run-up, and steepling bounce that
makes him one of England’s
‘Don’t ask me
why but I bowl
faster if I’m in
a good mood’
superstars. The frustration for some
England supporters is that Archer is
unable to regularly produce 90mph-
plus spells in Test matches.
“The only comment that is fair is
that the time I spend bowling with
the white ball is a lot less than in Test
cricket,” he said yesterday. “It is
impossible to run in the whole day
bowling at 90mph. If you can show
me someone who does it, then fair
play. I’ve not seen any bowler who
bowls 90mph do it for a whole day.”
Archer’s logical explanation is
evident in the speeds he has bowled
this summer: consistently above
90mph in the two white-ball series
against Australia, even hitting 96mph
during the T20 games, but lower
during the four Tests he played
against West Indies and Pakistan.
“It might be different environments
as well, a change of scenery or a
change of personnel,” he said. “You do
sometimes feel like you have hit a
wall. Sometimes you just need to
relax or just need to switch your mind
off for a few days. I honestly don’t
know what it is but if you’re in a good
frame of mind I feel you probably
bowl a bit faster.”
His ability to hit such high speeds
means that Archer’s other skills are
often overlooked. He has been
described by Ben Stokes as the most
talented bowler he has seen, and
Zubin Bharucha, his coach at
Rajasthan Royals, called him a freak
for his ability to disguise the ball and
pick up new variations instantly.
“Sometimes pace isn’t the answer,”
Archer said. “Yesterday, I didn’t feel as
though I was bowling that fast. At
times I felt I’ve bowled faster than I
did yesterday. For me as long as I feel
good, I don’t care what speed I’m
bowling at.”
Archer has spent more time in
England’s biosecure bubbles this
summer than any other player — 87
days, with only four days away from
the team between the two Test series
and five during the Pakistan T20
series. He was dropped for the secondJofra Archer has found
life in England’s bubbles
and hitting top speeds
challenging, writes
Elizabeth Ammon
Archer has been at his best for England in the game’s shorter formats this year
England
v Australia:
the decider
Tomorrow, 1pm
Emirates Old TraffordTV: Sky Sports Main
Event, 12.30pm