‘He can make things happen quickly’: Steve Waugh identifies ‘trump card’ for England’s chances in The Ashes

Former Australian captain Steve Waugh has heaped praise on England pacer Jofra Archer, stating that the youngster reminds him of Windies bowling great Curtly Ambrose. Archer, who suffered an injury during the Test series against India, is set to return to First-Class cricket as he has been named in Sussex's 13-man squad for the County Championship game against Kent.

Archer would be one of the key players in England’s arsenal in the upcoming Ashes series and Waugh believes that the right-arm quick could be a gamechanger in Australia. While speaking in a podcast, on ‘Road To The Ashes’ podcast, the Waugh opined that Archer will be a ‘trump card’ for the English team.

“The first time I saw him [Archer] I thought he looked very similar to the first time I saw [West Indies great] Curtly Ambrose, in that he has the ability to lift an extra gear and he can make things happen quickly. ‘So, for me, he really is a trump card for England’s chances in Australia. I think the key player is Jofra Archer,” Waugh spoke on Road To The Ashes podcast.

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“He’s something different and will enjoy the pace and bounce of the Australian wickets and is potentially a world-class bowler,” the former Australian captain added.

Waugh further highlighted that the batting line-ups of both England and Australia have been vulnerable over the last 6-12 months. He reckoned that it entirely depends upon the batters ‘to lay the platform’.

"Both batting orders have been a bit brittle over the last six to 12 months and England – like Australia – need to get 600 runs on the board across both innings and then both teams are capable of bowling the opposition out twice, so it’s really up to the batters to lay the platform," Steve Waugh said.