Still learning how to get the best out of Jofra Archer, says Joe Root
England captain hailed Jofra Archer after another game changing performance on day four of the fifth and final Ashes Test that the hosts won by 135 runs to level the five-match series 2-2.
Archer, who made his much hyped Test debut at Lord's in the second Test, returned with 22 wickets from four matches with his duels with Steve Smith being the highlight of the series.
"He's come in and been fantastic. Four Test matches, two six-fors. He has a way of having a huge impact on the game, you saw his spell here, it just changed the whole atmosphere of the ground, was incredible really. For someone right at the beginning of his career to have such a gift is entertaining, it's great to be able to captain that and I'm very much looking forward to the rest of his journey," Root said.
Smith, who had a memorable series with 774 runs from four games, also heaped prasie on the West Indian born pacer, who was fasttracked into the England side ahead of the World Cup.
"I saw Jofra last year at the IPL and realized he is a very special talent. He has got a very bright future," Smith said after being awarded Australia's Player of the Series.
However, Root is aware of the high expectations of him and even admitted that he is yet to know how to use the 24-year-old to the full.
"When I faced him in the nets against the red ball, it was clear he was going to be something special. [But] we've got to be careful of expecting too much of him. He's a young guy at the start of his career, playing in three formats, and he's still learning. I'm still learning how to get the best out of him as captain.
"But one thing you can expect is he's going to entertain and make things happen. At times he's not going to bowl at 90mph, but he'll go at two-and-a-half an over and create chances. I think making sure we don't expect him to average 12 is something really important, while also knowing he's got that ability to turn a game."
Root also looked back at the series and was happy with a 2-2 draw rather than a 3-1 drubbing after the convincing win in London on Sunday.
"It looks a hell of a lot better than 3-1, that's for sure," Root said of the scoreline. "I think it's probably a fair result over the whole series. People might disagree with that, but you look at Lord's and things could have been very different after that game. You can look at ifs and buts - if Jimmy [Anderson] was still playing things might have been slightly different.
"We didn't do enough to win it back but we've certainly put in a performance this week, which meant a huge amount. To level this series I think it was really important for us as a side, and we'll take a lot from it moving into the winter."
