BEN STOKES, not a man prone to over-the-top statements, was staggered by what he saw of Jofra Archer’s Test debut.
The speed, skill and hostility of Archer — and his alarming capacity to hit batsmen with bouncers — left Stokes blinking with disbelief.
And the Durham all-rounder warned the Aussie batsmen there will be plenty more aggression and head- seeking missiles from Archer during the next three Tests.
Despite striking Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne on the head at Lord’s, Stokes says the short stuff will continue in Thursday’s Third Test at Headingley — for which England have named an unchanged squad — or the following two matches.
For most of the time since his debut in 2013, Stokes has been England’s enforcer with the ball.
The 28-year-old is a man capable of bowling long, aggressive spells sprinkled with bumpers.
But after just one Test, Archer has inherited the role.
The way he keeps hitting batsmen is extraordinary and spine-chilling for those on the receiving end.
And there seems to be no reduction in speed even after bowling many overs.
It is Archer’s smooth approach to the stumps and seemingly effortless delivery that makes him so difficult for batsmen.
‘ANOTHER DIMENSION’
Stokes said: “He doesn’t have any tells. With some bowlers, you get a tell when they are going to bowl a bouncer.
“But because everything is so rhythmical with Jofra, it’s tough to see when that bouncer is coming.
“He’s very tight to the stumps. Everything looks so languid, you wonder if he’s loose, then he fires one. Watching the ball fly through was impressive.
“He bowled a lot of bouncers but they don’t seem to pick them up.
“And he gets nip off the seam. The red balls haven’t swung much this year but, when the chance comes, we’ll probably see another side to Jofra.
“He does like to swing the ball as well. He gives another dimension to our attack.
“In the first innings, he bowled 29 overs but his last spell of eight overs was one of the best out-and-out fast-bowling spells I’ve seen since I started. We’ve seen Mitchell Johnson do it to us, especially in 2013-14 but Jofra just makes it look so easy, like he’s walking in to bowl.
“I’d rather have him on my team than have to face him. He’s a frightening talent and he’s announced himself on the world stage.
“The sky is the limit for him and he’s a great addition to our Test team.”
Johnson himself has claimed England are already in danger of becoming over-reliant on Archer, 24.
The former Australia hero said: “It was good to see him in his first Test do what he did. The only concern I have is that they seem to rely quite heavily on him.
“Whether it was the pitch conditions or if it’s just the bowling attack in general. But it was really nice to see him on his debut play the way he did.”
Labuschagne was able to jump to his feet immediately when struck on the helmet grille second ball by Archer on Sunday, after becoming the first concussion sub in Test cricket.
He went on to make a half-century that helped guide Australia to a draw in the Second Test.
But the blow to the side of Smith’s neck sent a shudder through everybody watching. Stokes was fielding about 18 yards away from Smith and said: “The ball just hit flesh. It’s not nice seeing someone go straight down.
“It was a pretty scary couple of minutes for everyone out there but it was great seeing him get back up.
“I messaged him on Saturday to see how everything was . . . we have a good relationship from playing together at Rajasthan Royals and so does Jofra.
“I had a little giggle with him, which was good, saying Jofra’s a good shot to hit that pea-head! I think he was in as good a fettle as he could have been.
“Marnus took a heavy blow but he got straight back up and was ready for the next ball.
“You look for the reaction. Steve stayed down and laid flat and that was the scary thing.”
Despite Archer’s stunning debut, it was Stokes who collected the Player of the Match award for his second-innings century — his first international hundred for more than two years.
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Stokes added: “I’ve felt in good nick all summer and it’s nice to get to that three-figure mark.
“We’ll take a lot of confidence from the performance at Lord’s, knowing we had them against the ropes on day five.
“We’re very proud of how close we got. There are three games left, we can still win The Ashes.”