England fast bowler Jofra Archer has received a strong vote of confidence from his teammate Jamie Overton, who is tipping the explosive paceman to bounce back after some lacklustre performances at the T20 World Cup.
Archer's Struggles in Early Matches
Since making an earlier than anticipated comeback from a side strain that prematurely ended his promising Ashes campaign, Archer's economy rate has been in double figures in his last three T20 appearances for England. In his first two T20 World Cup matches against Nepal and the West Indies in Mumbai, Archer posted combined figures of 8-0-90-2, showing he is yet to hit his straps at the tournament.
Only six times before those recent outings in 35 T20s for England had Archer gone at 10 or more runs per over. The Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai has proven particularly challenging for fast bowlers, with Archer conceding an eye-watering 55 runs in four overs there last year as India racked up a ground-record total.
Overton's Unwavering Confidence
Despite these statistics, Jamie Overton remains convinced his team-mate will start firing on all cylinders again sooner rather than later. "Nothing's wrong with him," Overton stated emphatically. "Sometimes pace on the ball and good wickets, the ball just goes flying. We know what a high-class bowler Jof is. I'm sure he'll come back for the next few games and not go for many runs at all."
Encouragingly for England, Archer is still regularly exceeding 90mph with his deliveries, suggesting his physical capabilities remain intact despite the statistical struggles.
England's Tournament Position
England's loss to the West Indies leaves them with little room to manoeuvre against Scotland and Italy in their remaining Group C fixtures. The team travelled on Thursday to Kolkata, where Archer impressed by taking two for 21 against India in January 2025, offering hope for improved performances in the coming matches.
With Sam Curran also expensive in Wednesday's match, Overton emerged as by far the best of England's seam options. The bowler, who replaced Luke Wood in the XI, returned figures of two for 33 despite bowling the final over of the Windies innings.
Middle Overs Struggle and Recovery Plan
When it was England's turn to bat, they were suffocated by spin in the middle overs to suffer a first defeat in nine T20 matches. Overton remains confident they can bounce back against Scotland on Saturday, echoing captain Harry Brook's assertion that they were too "careful" in their chase of 197 runs.
"We played spin really well in Sri Lanka when England won both ODI and T20 series recently," Overton noted. "This was just one of those where we were maybe a bit careful and we didn't quite execute as well as we would like. These things happen, we learn from it and come back stronger in Kolkata."
Group Standings and Path Forward
Italy have gone ahead of England on net run-rate in the group after a stunning 10-wicket win over Nepal, who were on the verge of beating Brook's side until Sam Curran got them out of jail on Sunday. England must now win both their remaining fixtures at the famed Eden Gardens and hope the West Indies do not slip up to guarantee a place in the Super Eight stage of the tournament.
Overton added with determination: "Scotland and Italy now, obviously two must-win games and we hopefully get through the group stage. We've got to play well, we're still full of belief and we feel in a great spot."
The coming matches will test both Archer's ability to rediscover his best form and England's capacity to recover from their recent setback as they pursue advancement in the T20 World Cup.
