Ashes 2019: Jofra Archer intimidates Matthew Wade, stops him from taking two runs

Australia has been dominating England in the ongoing fourth Test at the Old Trafford ground in Manchester as England have the impossible-looking task of chasing down 365 runs with 8 wickets in hand on the last day. This all thanks to a returning Steve Smith who slammed 211 and 82 in two innings, taking the game away from the hosts and tightening his team’s grip on the Ashes urn.

Australia’s second innings was a story of recovery from 44/4 thanks to Smith and Matthew Wade, as the duo put up 105 runs for the fifth wicket in 22-odd overs. As Steve Smith did his best to rattle the England pace attack with some audacious stroke play while moving everywhere in his crease, Wade gave him the support necessary to do so by playing sensibly and not trying anything risky. However, when it came to the English players, they resorted to everything in order to disrupt their partnership, including intimidating the duo.

Archer stands in between Wade and a possible second run

Jofra Archer, who was criticized for going through the motions and not putting in any effort into his bowling, bent his back and bowled with some serious pace, and returned with the figures of 3 for 45 as the visitors declared their second innings on 186/6. Apart from this, Archer was making the day for all the spectators present at the Old Trafford and for people watching at home, by using some out of box techniques to faze Wade.

The most hilarious one came when the Aussie batsmen played a ball and took a single and then attempted to take a second run. However, Archer stood his ground and refused to move aside for Wade, forcing the Australian batsman from going for the second run and somehow managed to avoid collision with the England bowler in the process.

Steve Smith has continued to pummel the England bowlers into submission every time he has stepped onto the field with a bat in his hand. He has over 600 runs in just five innings in this series. He started with twin centuries in the first Test match, followed by a 92 in the Lord’s Test. He missed the third Test due to concussion issues but has come back to hit a sublime double ton and another fifty in the ongoing encounter. He has helped Australia put one hand on the Ashes urn.