Published 10:15 IST, November 12th 2019
Jofra Archer reveals why he was laughing after flooring Steve Smith
Jofra Archer has finally revealed why he was spotted smiling moments after flooring Australia batsman Steve Smith with a bouncer during the Ashes 2019
England's World Cup star Jofra Archer has finally revealed why he was spotted smiling moments after flooring Australia batsman Steve Smith with a bouncer during the Ashes. Archer produced a lethal spell of fast bowling during the second Test at Lord’s and hit Smith twice, the second of which caused the Australia star a concussion. Archer came under scanner on social media and was heavily criticised after cameras captured him chuckling with Jos Buttler instead of joining the huddle around the injured Smith.
Smith was the top-run getter in the Ashes, scoring 700 runs in seven innings and his battle with Archer was one of the highlights of a series that ended 2-2 after five Tests. Though he recovered from the blow and resumed his innings, he was later diagnosed with a concussion and missed the third Test entirely.
Why Archer had been smiling during such an otherwise tense moment had been a mystery until now, when former England captain Nasser Hussain asked the bowler about it in an interview for a leading media network. Archer said he and Jos Buttler had been joking around after he’d claimed the wicket of Australian captain Tim Paine a while ago.
Was smiling because of an inside joke: Archer
The Barbados-born fast bowler revealed that not long before he hit Smith, he had got the wicket of Paine. Before he came in, Jos had said if he got Paine out, he could have anything he wanted. So he told Butler that his car was dirty too which the England wicket-keeper said that he'd hire a bucket and a chammy and wash the car himself. Archer said he had forgotten about the incident, but when they later stood together after Smith's wicket he remembered the bet. He then told Butler to order that stuff and both had a laugh.
Archer went on to say that there was no reason to laugh at the Australian batsman as he had spent two months with him during the IPL 2019. He added that he knew how it looked on TV and was frustrated about it as TV didn't tell everyone the whole story. Archer, who bowled the super over during England’s World Cup triumph over New Zealand, finished the Ashes with 22 wickets to his name.
Updated 13:01 IST, November 12th 2019