Jofra Archer produced a ferocious spell of fast bowling at the start of Pakistan's first innings, which will go down as his fastest in Test cricket with an average speed of 90.7mph, to help England into a dominant position in the second Test against Pakistan. But after finishing with three wickets, the bowler insisted that whatever his contribution to breaking the tourists' spirit, it was the speed gun that broke first.
"Nah, the speed gun isn't working properly," the 31-year-old said. "I saw some of them [speeds] and I was like, it didn't really feel that way. I don't know who's up in the box working it, but thanks. I remember playing here in the Ashes in 2019 and thinking the same thing. Maybe the speed guns are a little bit dodgy here."
England's Pace Attack Dominates
Ollie Robinson took four wickets with Josh Tongue responsible for the other two as England's four-man pace attack, with Gus Atkinson unrewarded on this occasion, bowled Pakistan out for 110 to give England a 180-run first-innings lead. "Everyone chips in. Ollie's been phenomenal since he started [playing] again. Gus and Tonguey, everyone's picking up the slack," Archer said. "With this attack you don't have to go and do too much. You don't have to try too hard. You know someone's going to back you up."
The 21-year-old opener Azan Awais was one of only two Pakistan batters to reach double figures, reaching 46 – Saud Shakeel was their next highest scorer with 16 – before he pulled Robinson to deep square-leg.
Pakistan's Batting Concerns
"We've done a lot right in this Test – we've bowled better, but the batting is definitely a concern," said Sarfaraz Ahmed, their head coach. "At the moment, as a batting unit, we are not up to the mark. But we're still hopeful. You never know, anything can happen in cricket. I hope we can get them out for another 70 or 80 and chase a target of 350 or so. So we hope for the best."
"England have a great bowling attack right now. In the morning, Jofra Archer to Azan Awais, I think that was a great spell. The way that kid handled it, I think it's good for his career. That time that he batted, facing quality bowling, will be a big boost for him."
Archer's Verdict on Awais
But Archer was less complimentary about Azan's batting. "I've never seen someone play and miss so many balls and not get out," he said. "But whatever he did, he did it well. Fair play to him."
