for a bowler in the tournament (86.79mph, versus Archer's 86.75mph). All figures, provided by CricViz, exclude slower balls.

"Only Woody's speed came up [on the scoreboard]," Archer complained with tongue only partially in cheek. "So it was a bit… well, a bit biased really."

Archer has one significant advantage over Wood. For while Wood appears to be permanently on the edge of injury, Archer looks able to generate a similar pace without forcing his body to the brink. He makes the desperately tough task of fast bowling appear relatively easy.

"I feel niggles here and there," he said. "But nothing to stop me from playing. I'll just keep going."

He is certainly not going to want to miss England's next match. While he insisted "it's just another game", the fact it isagainst West Indies - and we surely don't need to go into Archer's backstory again here - does add piquancy. And his knowledge of the opposition could provide some useful insight for England.

"The West Indies game will only serve to increase interest in Archer. His life has changed radically over the last few weeks and you suspect we're just at the start"

"It's just another game of cricket; same as the last game," he said. "I know them pretty good. I played with a few of the guys at Under-19 level, so it will be good to actually play against them this time.

"I'll be able to share some knowledge, but I do that whenever we play. I played against and with some of the Bangladeshi guys in the BPL