Saturday 23 November 2019 13:45, UK
Chris Silverwood admits England are still learning how to get the best out of fast bowler Jofra Archer after a tough third day in the first Test against New Zealand at Mount Maunganui.
The expectation on Archer has risen significantly since bursting onto the international scene in England's World Cup win and during the Ashes last summer, but he has been unable to consistently bowl at the speeds that saw him become a breakout star for England.
There was a brief, sharp burst as he topped 94.4mph on day three against the Black Caps but he remains wicketless so far in his first overseas Test, his fifth in total.
New Zealand lost just two wickets the whole day, as BJ Watling's patient 119 not out ushered them to 394-6 and a first-innings lead of 41 on a flat, slow surface.
"He's still very young in his Test career," head coach Silverwood said of Archer. "At the same time, Jofra's learning about himself and the game of Test cricket and equally Joe [Root] is learning to captain him as well.
"From a holistic point of view we're growing together, really. It's a learning curve for us. How do we take 20 wickets abroad? This is part of the process and we're building from it."
Archer was overlooked at the start of play as well as with the second new ball after lunch, with Root preferring left-armer Sam Curran and veteran seamer Stuart Broad on both occasions.
Late in the day, Archer was awarded an lbw verdict when Watling was on 113 but a review highlighted a faint inside edge on Hot Spot, reprieving the New Zealand wicketkeeper as he batted all day.
"Jofra creates problems; he was unlucky not to get an lbw," said Silverwood. "He's learning ways to operate when he's out there and the one thing we know he has is a ferocious bouncer.
"There's a very simple theory behind the new ball and that was we wanted to give Sam the best chance of swinging it. We've seen when he's swung it, in this game as well, that he's been dangerous. Nothing more to it than that."
Watling was reprieved on 31 when Ben Stokes dropped a slip catch off Root, while Rory Burns was unable to cling on to a more difficult chance as Colin de Grandhomme had a let-off on 62 during a 119-run stand with Watling.
Burns spent the remainder of the day off the field because of a small split on his right thumb, although De Grandhomme added only three runs to his score as Dom Sibley pulled off a wonderful low catch at gully.
"You've probably seen on a morning that we are doing a lot of catching, so we know that we've got to try to get better and we're trying very hard to do that," Silverwood added. "I think the more we practice, the better we'll get."
Watch day four of the first Test between New Zealand and England live on Sky Sports Cricket from 9.30pm on Saturday.
