Bowler has been England’s best and most consistent performer in Ashes series, making valuable contributions in all areas and even striking fear into Australians

One of the most telling moments of Archer’s long partnership with Stokes, which spanned 30 overs and dragged England back into the contest even if they ultimately conceded a first-innings deficit of 85, was what happened when Stokes was finally out, during the fifth over of the second new ball.

We were more than an hour into the day by that stage and Archer had already expended plenty of energy keeping the Australian bowlers at bay, but he nonetheless ran all the way from the middle to give his captain a well-deserved pat on the back just before he retreated across the boundary rope.

Stokes had fought heroically for 5¼ hours across Thursday afternoon and Friday morning, but he was still absolutely furious with himself for getting out when there was scope to further close the runs gap, shouting oaths at the sky as he trudged back. Archer wanted to show he cared, even if no one else did. It was a touching gesture.

About 24 hours earlier the two of them had not appeared to be getting on quite so well as the stump microphones caught them exchanging words in a team huddle directly after Archer had dismissed Starc. Archer asked if he could have a third man because he had been leaking runs; Stokes told him in no uncertain terms that he could not: bowl to the plan and you won’t need the protection, was the gist of it.

Australian TV interpreted this as evidence of a problem between them, but it was no more than a frank exchange of views and soon passed. As demonstrated by their later partnership of 106 runs — the biggest ninth-wicket stand for England on Australian soil for 101 years — their relationship was functioning just fine.

This week Stokes had said of Archer: “He’s someone who doesn’t give away too much… but I try to spend a lot of time with him away from cricket. [I’ve] got to know the person over a number of years. I’m very, very close with Jof now.” He added: “Every time I’ve asked Jofra to turn it up to fifth gear since he’s come back into the Test team, he’s done that.”

Even before the lead-up to this game, and the blunt messages delivered by management to the playing group, Archer had responded to Stokes’s call in the final throes of the second Test in Brisbane to put down a marker by ramping up his pace — the first step in the planned fightback. This he duly did, though without taking a wicket, regularly getting the speed gun up to about 94mph.

Steve Smith’s jibe, “Bowl fast when there’s nothing going on, champion,” delighted his own team-mates and former Australia players, who had made a ridiculous to-do about Archer arriving at the ground with a pillow and wearing a gold chain (which Ryan Harris claimed was preventing him bowling faster), but it missed the point of what Stokes was trying to achieve.

Archer’s burst definitely put a spring in the step of the England players at the end of Brisbane, and while some may not have built on that, Archer definitely has.

Generally, if the Australian cricket commentariat have a lot to say about an English player it is because they fear what they can do, and they have not made any further criticisms of Archer across the first three days of this Test.

Although he had not taken a wicket in Australia’s second innings by stumps, Archer bowled with good pace and accuracy again, hitting around 90mph during a five-over spell after tea and having Travis Head put down in the gully by Harry Brook on 99. Had that catch been taken, England might still have clawed the game back again.

In many ways, Archer has been England’s best and most consistent performer across the first nine days of the series. That might not be saying much, but it is an important conclusion given how much time he has spent out of the Test arena. The very fact he has played three Tests in a row — albeit with week-long breaks between — suggests that finally his body may be robust enough to withstand the rigours of a long series. If so, this is a massive step forward.

He has also shown signs in this Test of being in a position to assume the mantle of attack leader that has been vacant since the retirements of James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Chris Woakes.

Archer will no doubt have enjoyed his time batting as much as anything he has done with the ball. He shared an important last-wicket stand of 70 with Joe Root in Brisbane, of which his share was a Test-best 38 at the time.

During his comeback from injury early last year, he spent time in his native Barbados playing club cricket for Windward CC, and delighted in recounting how he got out only once and made a score of 70 in one game. He has a good eye, sees the ball early and will reckon he can improve on his new Test high of 51 at some point.