Jofra Archer after taking 6 wkts: Speed is not always the key

England's Jofra Archer on Day One at Leeds on Thursday. Pic /AFP

Leeds: Jofra Archer insisted his six-wicket haul on the opening day of the third Ashes Test at Headingley proved there was more to his game than raw pace alone.

The build-up to this match had featured plenty of talk about the physical threat posed by England fast bowler Archer, who by hitting Steven Smith with a 92 mph bouncer in the drawn second Test at Lord's had ruled the star Australia batsman out of the Headingley match with concussion. But Archer deployed his fearsome short-ball sparingly during a superb return of six for 45 in 17.1 overs as Australia, 1-0 up in the five-match series, were dismissed for just 179. "I don't need to run in and bowl 90 mph every spell to get wickets," said Archer.

"There will be times in Test matches you have to focus on hitting your length. There will be times to ramp it up as well but you don't have to go into it every innings."

Archer, the Barbados-born son of an English father, said conditions in Leeds dictated why he bowled fewer short balls than at Lord's. "I bowled a few, obviously to let the batter know they are still there but this wasn't a short-ball wicket, it wasn't as hard as Lord's. "So it's just get it on the full line and length and it got results today."

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