Ashes 2019 | We have to cut Jofra Archer some slack for wicket-less first innings, says Chris Silverwood

Archer picked five wickets in his Test debut at Lord’s and followed it up with six for 45 in the first innings at Headingley, only to return barren after toiling for 27 overs in the first innings at Old Trafford. It was instantly followed by pundits and fans criticizing the bowler. However, coach Silverwood didn't seem much concerned with it.

"I think we're just going to be careful with Jofra. He's playing his third Test match, so we've got to cut him a little bit of slack. He's still finding his way into international cricket. Test cricket is hard work. You must put the workload in, but it's there, and he's trying and we've seen what he's capable of. But he's not going to do it every day," Silverwood told Sky Sports.

Perhaps the worry for the analysts – experts or fans – was not focused on the wickets column as much as the speeds Archer was clocking. After consistently hitting 95 mph – brutally flooring Steve Smith with a fearful blow to the head – Archer’s pace dropped considerably to the mid-80s at Headingley. His approach to the crease was shown by Sky's analysts to be slower too, a point which Silverwood acknowledged.

"The one thing that we see, sat on the side when he's running in, he gets his knees pumping and he really attacks the crease. But again, it's part of his learning process, he is figuring out what he can and can't do in Test cricket at the moment. And it's his third game. The exciting thing is we know he can hit 90-plus miles an hour but, saying that I didn't bowl fast every day either, even though I tried. Sometimes it just doesn't click," he said.

It could be either (or both) of two reasons for this consistent drop in pace. Either, as Australian Justin Langer promised, the Aussie batsmen have kept their vow to “keep wearing him down” as the series wore on, or England’s captain Root is setting the bar too high for his young sensation. He bowled 44 overs at Lord’s, a further 31.1 at Headingley, before 27 in the fourth Test. Whatever the case, Silverwood has advice for both Root and Archer. 

"You've got to drip-feed things in. It's an educational process for Jofra coming into the team, and obviously it's the same for Joe. He's learning how to captain Jofra, and hey, as fast bowlers, we're a little bit grumpy, aren't we? We normally like to get on with how we want to do it. But you've got to be open to suggestions and ideas and try new things as well," he said. 

Ahead of the fourth Test, there was much hype about the return of Smith to face the kid that nearly blew his head off. However, the No.1 Test batsman quashed any doubts about his greatness with a mammoth double century. Smith has now racked up 589 runs at 147.25 in the series, and Silverwood admitted that his success had left the England team scratching their collective heads.

"We've tried a few , to be honest. Everything we've thrown at him, he seems to have come up with an answer. But he's just very good. I mean, it's great to watch him, though preferably not against us. We've gone from Plan A to Plan B to Plan C, and he seems to figure out a way, which is probably where the genius lies within him."

Of course, it did not help that the hosts could have removed him for 118, and not 211, had Jack Leach not overstepped the mark. 

"You don't want anybody to bowl no-balls, it's hard enough to get Steve Smith out anywhere without obviously this happening. But there'll be nobody more disappointed with Jack about that. And I'm sure he will work very hard not to let that happen again. It can take the wind out of your sails, to be honest, as a group and as a team. But at the same time, you've got to get over it because these things happen. We've got to put that behind us now and move on."

With two days left in the penultimate Test of the five-match Ashes series, England’s No.1 agenda is to avoid defeat at all costs.