Ashes 2019: Jofra Archer knocks down Steve Smith with a ferocious bouncer

It was only a month ago, Jofra Archer smacked Alex Carey right on the chin with a bumper during the World Cup semi-final at the Edgbaston in Birmingham. The Australian wicketkeeper-batsman thereafter played with his chin bandaged, such was the impact of the nasty blow from the right-arm speedster. Archer can generate serious pace and it has ruffled the feathers of many.

Now, the rock-solid Steve Smith has had to face his wrath, this time at the iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground in the second Ashes Test between England and Australia. James Anderson got ruled out of the series and that gave Archer the chance to make his debut. The Sydney-born Smith was looking good for his third successive century in the series, having scored 80* runs with 11 glorious fours.

Jofra Archer’s delivery too hot to handle for Steve Smith

But he was taken aback by the bouncer churned out by Archer. The impact was so much that Smith had to walk off the park after getting hit. The incident took place in the 77th over. Archer ran in and dug the ball at a speed of 92.4 mph, which can be hard to deal with. Smith was caught off guard and he tried to sway away from the line of the leather, but the batter couldn’t, much to his agony.

He was hit just around the neck-jaw area and immediately, he went down in pain. Justin Langer, the Aussie head coach, looked worried, even as the physios rushed on to the cricket pitch to check on Smith’s well-being. The players also swarmed around to check on him. The umpires also took their time to settle down. Smith couldn’t survive the heat, feeling uneasy, and he had to retire hurt.

He gingerly walked off, but to a round of applause from the crowd at the Home of Cricket. In a recent update, it has been known that Smith is being treated by the doctors. For the time being, it seems unlikely that Smith will resume his innings. The blow definitely brought back memories of Phillip Hughes. Archer also looked a tad disturbed as he marked his run-up to bowl at Peter Siddle.

Here is the video