England's Archer takes pillow to second Ashes Test in 'shocking look' / Photo: DAVID GRAY - AFP
England's Archer takes pillow to second Ashes Test in 'shocking look'
England fast bowler Jofra Archer has been lampooned after turning up for the second Ashes Test against Australia with a pillow tucked under his arm in a move blasted as "a shocking look".
Archer was pictured arriving at the Gabba in Brisbane with the pillow for day three on Saturday when Australia resumed at 378-6 in reply to England's first innings 334.
He presumably thought Australia's last four wickets would fall quickly and he could have a nap.
Instead, the hosts piled on another 133 runs before being dismissed for 511, with Archer consigned to hours in the field rather than any shut-eye.
"Sorry, but that's a shocking look," Australia great Matthew Hayden said on commentary for Australia's Channel Seven.
"If I was a batsman, I tell you what I would be doing, I would be digging in ... Forever.
"You would be looking over that and saying, 'you will never sleep on that, not any part of this day are you going to see that, not even in the night'."
Ricky Ponting spotted Archer and his pillow as he was arriving and asked England opener Ben Duckett what was going on.
"I couldn't believe it, I was walking straight towards him," Ponting told the same network.
"He gives me a bit of a glance and Ben Duckett was 10 metres behind him.
"I said, 'What is going on here?' He said, 'Don't even ask me, I don't want to talk about it'.".
The Guardian newspaper called the image "an awkward symbol of England's Ashes nightmare".
"Bowler's creature comforts emblematic of a touring side seen as paying the price for taking a laid-back approach," it added.
England were crushed in the first Test at Perth by eight wickets inside two days and were staring at another defeat Sunday in Brisbane.
S.Boyle--IP
