Trailling 1-0 in the Ashes series after an emphatic opening defeat at Edgbaston and now without their lead seam bowler for the second Test, England could really do with some good news ahead of Lord's.
James Anderson's absence from the team for the second Test is undoubtedly a blow for the hosts, but the sight of Jofra Archer sending down missiles for his county side's second XI on Tuesday should provide some welcome relief.
Archer missed the 251-run defeat in Birmingham with a calf injury to delay his inevitable Test debut. However, the 24-year-old bowler is making progress on his fitness, and clips of him bowling in the South Division for Sussex's second team against Gloucestershire show him bowling close to his fearsome full pace.
Spare a thought for the Gloucestershire second team's batsmen, who unsurprisingly struggled against Archer, who claimed figures of 6-26 to bowl them out for 79.
Archer was one of the breakout stars of England's Cricket World Cup triumph this summer. Named in the World Cup squad after just three one-day international appearances, Archer went on to claim 20 wickets - the third-most in the competition - and bowled England's super-over in the final against New Zealand.
England will now hope Archer can transfer his ODI heroics to red-ball cricket and help them salvage the Ashes series after a disastrous start.
