The star England speedster Jofra Archer took a trip down the memory lane and recalled a thrilling encounter with Australia’s Steve Smith during the Ashes series in 2019 where he knocked the latter on the head with a dangerous bouncer leaving him concussed.
The severity of the blow saw Smith leaving the field when he was batting on 80 and was approaching his third consecutive century in the series.
Right after two years to that untoward incident, the lethal English pacer recalled the moment and talked at length about it.
“I think in England personally when the ball his you it can feel a lot worse than it is because sometimes it’s a bit cold and I thought it was that until I actually saw him roll. When he went down and then he rolled on his back, I went ‘oh dear’ you know,” Jofra told News Corp.
Smith had fallen flat on the ground immediately after he copped the blow before being attended by the medics and physios. He got back on his feet after treatment but did not bat and chose to walk out instead, with Marnus Labuschagne walking in as a substitute.
“I thought it was very serious, but he came out and he batted again. Obviously, you don’t ever want a cricket related death. There was one already and there’s no need for another one. It’s hard enough trying to get the kids to come and play cricket,” said Archer, who has 42 Test wickets against his name.
Archer also relooked at the unfortunate involving Australian batter Phillip Hughes, who succumbed after being hit on his head by a short-pitch ball from Sean Abbott during a Sheffield Shield encounter back in 2014. The tragedy left the cricketing world stunned and weeping.
“I know they say he’s (Smith) tough as nails anyway, but I don’t think he would have come out to bat again if he wasn’t. Just his resilience. You are putting yourself out there and risking everything for your team. Honestly, throughout that whole series, I just think his wicket wasn’t for me. There were a few top edged that could have gone to hand. But I just enjoyed the challenge,” Archer further added.
Injured Archer couldn't make it to the England squad for the ongoing 2021-2022 Ashes series, which Australia is leading by 1-0, defeating England by nine wickets at the Gabba, Brisbane.
