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Jofra Archer hits back at Michael Vaughan over claims that Archer might not love Test cricket

Vaughan Archer
by Wisden Staff 3 minute read
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Jofra Archer has hit back at detractors questioning his commitment towards Test cricket, singling out Michael Vaughan in his column for the Daily Mail while speaking out about the unjust criticism.

Last month, Vaughan, in his column for the Telegraph, mentioned that there were whispers that Archer does not love cricket, and that as a management group, you have to accept that there are players in this era who prefer the shorter format to Test cricket, saying that “England have to make Test cricket enjoyable for Archer”.

Archer, who missed the fourth Test against India due to injury, and has been troubled by elbow issues in the recent past, played a quiet part in the four-Test series, missing the second and fourth Tests and bowled just five overs in the third.

Writing in his column, Archer said that he was “annoyed” that people form their own opinion, stressing that his attitude doesn’t change based on formats and expressing full commitment towards Test cricket.

“Let me be clear about something: I’ve never changed my attitude towards playing for England,” Archer wrote. “I’ve always wanted to play all three formats. That hasn’t changed, and never will as far as I’m concerned.

“I always dreamed of playing Test cricket and don’t feel I’ve had a bad game so far — yet unless I am taking four or five wickets in an innings, I am placed under scrutiny and some people start trying to decipher what’s going on.”

“Comments like ‘he’s not committed’ or ‘he’s not good enough’ appear as soon as you are not 110 per cent. I find it quite annoying how people read into stuff and form their own opinions.”

Responding to Vaughan’s article, Archer wrote: “I saw one article from Michael Vaughan in which he said: ‘If Jofra doesn’t love Test cricket, England need to find out why.’ We’ve never had a conversation about cricket, so I found it a bit odd. He doesn’t know what makes me tick. He doesn’t know what’s driving me.”

“Everyone must start somewhere, and I am still relatively new to Test cricket. I am making my way, much the same as the two great bowlers in this England set-up, James Anderson and Stuart Broad, once did. And I am happy with a bowling average of 31 so far because I can get better.”

Archer said that both Anderson and Broad have enjoyed the confidence of the public even after quiet days, stating that he doesn’t “feel there is the same understanding given or faith placed in others”.

“The beauty of where those two are in their careers, with so many wickets to their names, is that they get the benefit of the doubt if they have a quiet match of only one or two wickets. People will argue, quite rightly, that they have got to where they are for a reason and will come back strongly, whereas I don’t feel there is the same understanding given or faith placed in others.”

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