MANCHESTER: England captain Joe Root is confident that Jofra Archer will be ready to play in the third Test against the West Indies but said there was a question mark over all-rounder Ben Stokes ability to bowl.

Root said that Archer, who was dropped from the second Test after he breached the bio-secure bubble, had been fired up in the nets and in good spirits as England prepared for the decisive Test at Old Trafford, which starts on Friday.

Yet Stokes was struggling with stiffness after his heroic exertions in helping England win the second Test.

Root said that while Stokes would play, he might not be able to contribute much with the ball.

Root also hit out at the racist abuse that Archer has faced on social media, telling a news conference on Thursday he had seen some of it and it was ‘disgusting’.

Stokes has been struggling with a quadriceps injury and will be assessed before Friday’s start of play.

“There was no chance of him [Stokes] missing the match,” insisted Root. “But any doubt about his ability to bowl would influence team selection. He spent much of the last Test on the field, but it does take a lot to keep him down and out of the action.

“We’ll see how he is in the morning but if you look at our squad we’ve got a lot of brilliant options to choose from. Whatever combination we go with is obviously capable of taking 20 wickets.”

England have used six bowlers over the first two Tests and are expected to rotate again as they seek to keep them fresh with three more Tests against Pakistan to come in quick succession from Aug 5.

That means a possible return for Archer after he sat out the second Test.

His participation in the third test had been in doubt as he admitted that he was struggling mentally after being racially abused on social media for having to spend five days in isolation as a result of stepping out of the bio-secure environment.

Yet Root said Archer had looked sharp in training. “He’s got his smile back and bowled speed and line in some spicy nets over the last two days, which wasn’t much fun for our batters.

“But it was disgusting, actually, to see some of the abuse he’s had to put up with over the last week.

“As a squad we’ve tried to get around him and make sure he knows we are all there for him because no one should have to deal with that. Its deeply disappointing and there’s no other word than disgusting.”

The other day Archer said he might not play following racist abuse.

“I need to be 100 percent mentally right so that I can throw myself into my cricket this week,” the fast bowler Archer wrote in his Daily Mail column. “If I play and don’t bowl 90 miles an hour it’s going to be news.”

Following the publication of his column, it is understood Archer, 25, told the England management he was fit to play.

“He is fit, firing and ready to go,” said England national selector Ed Smith on Thursday after unveiling the squad.

In eight Tests since his debut last year, Archer has taken 33 wickets at an average of 28.12, with his tally already including three five-wicket hauls.

“The overwhelming feeling with Jofra is that he’s available for selection, he’s a spectacular talent and a brilliant cricketer with an exceptional record in England,” Smith added.

West Indies, meanwhile, might continue with the same team for a third successive Test even though they have had little time to rest in between, captain Jason Holder said.

Changes had been expected to the line-up, especially after coach Phil Simmons hinted at a new top order and fresh bowlers after 113-run defeat in the second Test.

But Holder backed underfire batsman Shai Hope and insisted the team were in good shape ahead of decider.

“Everyone has pulled up really well,” he told a news conference. “Having Test matches with a short turnaround, such as it has been, has been tough. No doubt, both teams will be feeling it. But we’ve got enough motivation to keep pushing; we’ve got a chance to win this series, and we’ve been playing some pretty decent cricket.”

Holder said Hope, who has scored only 57 runs in four innings in the series, had his support.

“We all know what Shai can produce and has done before at this level at Test cricket. Hes arguably one of the best one-day batsmen in the world and we know the calibre of player he can be. I’ve got full confidence in Shai to get some runs,” said Holder.

If any changes are made to the line-up, off-spinner Rahkeem Cornwall could be included depending on the state of the wicket.

Teams (from):

ENGLAND: Joe Root (captain), Ben Stokes, Rory Burns, Dom Sibley, Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, Jos Buttler, Chris Woakes, Sam Curran, Dom Bess, Stuart Broad, Jofra Archer, Mark Wood, James Anderson.

WEST INDIES: Jason Holder (captain), Kraigg Brathwaite, John Campbell, Shamarh Brooks, Shai Hope, Roston Chase, Jermaine Blackwood, Shane Dowrich, Rahkeem Cornwall, Kemar Roach, Alzarri Joseph, Shannon Gabriel, Chemar Holder, Joshua Da Silva.

Umpires: Michael Gough (England) and Richard Kettleborough (England).

TV umpire: Richard Illingworth (England).

Match referee: Chris Broad (England).

Published in Dawn, July 24th, 2020