Rob Key and Graham Gooch talk Wood's five-for, whether Stokes should bowl more, demerit points and Vernon Philander's injury
Sunday 26 January 2020 19:30, UK
Will Mark Wood's excellent form for England fire up fellow fast bowler Jofra Archer?
Rob Key - speaking on The Cricket Debate, which you can listen to in the player below or by downloading here - thinks it might, after Wood followed his excellent comeback in Port Elizabeth with a five-for in Johannesburg.
Archer has missed the last three Tests with an elbow injury, while he did not show the blistering form he displayed during The Ashes in the pre-Christmas tour of New Zealand.
"Joe Root will be showing Archer what Wood has done," said Key, who thinks both seamers will be key in England's bid to regain The Ashes in Australia in 2021-22.
"Archer will be a smart cookie, look around and think 'this is what I need to do, this is the mark, this is the level'.
"I hope he is thinking 'myself and Wood together is as good an attack as anywhere in the world'. When those two get together, that is going to be exciting for England.
"If England are going to win the Ashes in Australia then Wood is absolutely vital. If they are going to become the best side in the world, they need him fit, even if it is unrealistic for him to be playing game after game.
"They need Archer as well. There are two real spearheads there that I think can win games in any conditions. They can take England so far - but they have to stay fit.
"It's about how you manage them. The good thing is that Wood has come in without playing any cricket and straightaway been 92mph."
Also on The Cricket Debate, Key and fellow former England batsman Graham Gooch discussed…
- Whether this could be the start of a great era of Test cricket for England
- How, according to Keysy, Vernon Philander is on an 'absolute swansong' in his final Test
- Why Quinton de Kock is doing better than the rest of the South Africa batting line-up
- If England should stick with Jos Buttler as wicketkeeper-batsman
- Whether Joe Denly should go on England's tour of Sri Lanka in March
- Why Ben Stokes should bowl more for Root's side
- The number of players earning fines and demerit points in this series and whether they deserved them
- England's frenetic batting as they searched for quick runs on day three
Watch day four of the fourth Test between South Africa and England, in Johannesburg, live on Sky Sports Cricket from 7.30am.
