Can fast-bowling sensation Jofra Archer help England bounce back to Ashes glory?

Spectacular Test debut at Lord's sparks comparisons to cricket bowling legends

Australia's Marnus Labuschagne is struck by a Jofra Archer bouncer at Lord'sCredit: Stu Forster

Third Test: England v Australia
TV: Sky Sports Cricket

England trail Australia 1-0 in the Ashes but Jofra Archer's spectacular Test debut at Lord's has bolstered belief that Joe Root's men can launch a comeback in the series.

Fresh from sealing England's victory over New Zealand in the World Cup final, the fast bowler hit 96mph on the speed gun, taking five wickets in the match and hitting Australia star Steve Smith with a sharp bouncer.

But how does England's latest pace ace compare to the fast bowlers of the past?

England's express fast bowlers

Harold Larwood, Frank 'Typhoon' Tyson and 'Fiery' Fred Trueman are among the legendary quick bowlers who have represented England in Test cricket but in more recent years two Durham fast men have set the standard.

Steve Harmison was capable of brutal spells, tormenting Ricky Ponting during the 2005 Ashes, a year after taking 7-12 in a victory over the West Indies in Jamaica.

And Mark Wood, like Archer a 2019 World Cup winner, ripped through the Windies in St Lucia in February, taking five wickets in just 8.2 overs of hostile fast bowling.

Injuries have restricted Wood to only 13 Test appearances but the prospect of unleashing him and Archer on a pacy pitch is an exciting one for England.

The legendary West Indies pacemen

Archer qualified to play for England earlier this year having been born in Barbados and he is the latest in a long line of fearsome fast bowlers to hail from the Caribbean.

The dominant West Indies teams of the 1970s and 1980s were renowned for their pace-bowling attacks with opposing teams bombarded by bouncers from Joel Garner, Malcolm Marshall and Michael 'Whispering Death' Holding.

Andy Roberts, Patrick Patterson and Sylvester Clarke were three of the most terrifying Windies quicks of the era and generations of English batsmen were left battered and bruised by the brilliant bowlers marshalled by Clive Lloyd and Viv Richards.

Modern masters of the bouncer

Pakistan's Shoaib Akhtar produced some devastating spells of fast bowling and one of his deliveries was clocked at 100mph during the 2003 World Cup, although England's Nick Knight nonchalantly defended the record-breaking rocket.

Australia's Brett Lee was another serious speedster capable of roughing up some of the world's best batsmen (and Piers Morgan).

And another Aussie, Mitchell Johnson, bowled like a man possessed during the 2013-14 Ashes, routing the English batting unit to finish with 37 wickets in the five-Test series.

What next for Jofra Archer?

With Smith sidelined due to concussion, Archer is 9-1 favourite to be man of the match at Headingley in only his second Test appearance.

England will have to manage his workload carefully if they are to get the best out of the Sussex superstar in the Test, ODI and Twenty20 formats and he shouldered a heavy burden on his debut, bowling 44 overs at Lord's.

His short ball is undoubtedly a valuable weapon but it will be interesting to see how effective it is at different venues – Australia's Travis Head suggested that bouncers are particularly dangerous at Lord's because the slope means the ball tends to follow the batsman.

And the Aussies can give as good as they get, as you would expect from a nation that produced quick bowlers such as Lee, Johnson, Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson.

Pat Cummins has also been hurling thunderbolts in this series and he had plenty of success with the short ball at Lord's where his six victims included Archer, caught at gully after receiving a taste of his own medicine.