"Pace is not always the answer. I don't feel that I was bowling that fast [in the second ODI]. At times, I feel I have bowled faster than that. As long as I feel good, I don't care what speed I am bowling at"
Monday 14 September 2020 16:03, UK
Jofra Archer has shaken up Australia's batsmen in recent weeks - but does not really care how fast he bowls for England.
The 25-year-old sent down a rapid spell as his side won the second ODI in Manchester on Sunday, removing Marcus Stoinis with a brutish bouncer at the body, while he has also dismissed David Warner four times in a row during Australia's late-summer white-ball tour.
However, the seamer says his priority is to stick to plans set by captain Eoin Morgan and not just bowl as swiftly as possible.
Asked where his breakneck spell in the second ODI came from, Archer replied: "I honestly don't know but if you are in a great frame of mind you are probably going to bowl a bit better or faster.
"Pace is not always the answer. I don't feel that I was bowling that fast [in the second ODI]. At times, I feel I have bowled faster than that. As long as I feel good, I don't care what speed I am bowling at.
"Morgan's advice is 'it doesn't matter how fast you bowl, just stick to the plan. If you are going to bowl in the channel, straight, sharp, just commit and stick to the plan'. The plan always comes first.
"He encourages me to take the attacking option and as long as you have the backing of the skipper, your team-mates and management, even if you do lose, who cares? So what?"
Archer has bowled quicker in white-ball cricket than he did in Test matches this summer, with the 25-year-old offering a simple suggestion as to why.
"The time I am going to be spending bowling is a lot less than in Test cricket - you can't run in the whole day bowling 90mph. It's actually impossible.
"If you can show me someone that does it, fair play to them. I have not seen someone who bowls 90mph do it for a whole day."
Archer also attributes his ferocious speed over recent games to switching from England's red-ball bubble to their one-day set-up, saying "a change of scenery" has given him a new buzz.
"You do sometimes feel like you hit a wall and sometimes you do just need to relax and switch your mind off for a few days.
"You can go crazy in your mind doing the same thing, day in day out, so the change was much welcomed.
"We played Test cricket for like two months so [it was nice] to see some fresh faces and have a different challenge."
The fast bowler has become attuned to life in the bubble - Archer has spent 87 days in the bio-secure environment this summer, more than any other England player, with only four days off between the West Indies and Pakistan Test series and five during the T20 series against Pakistan.
He will soon link up with Rajasthan Royals for the IPL - the tournament having been pushed back from its initial spring slot and moved to the United Arab Emirates due to the coronavirus pandemic.
But he is already looking forward to a sustained spell of time with his family, making it extremely unlikely he will play for Hobart Hurricanes in this winter's Big Bash in Australia.
"At times it can be mentally challenging - it's going to [feel strange] going home and being normal again as this has become the new normal.
"I'm not sure I've got much more bubble left in me for the rest of the year. I haven't seen my family really since February and we're in September now.
"The IPL will be most of October and November. Then we're hopefully going to South Africa [with England].
"That only leaves me with a few weeks in December for the rest of the year. When the year turns, I think [England] will then be in the UAE or India.
"Family time is really important, especially when you physically cannot see them. Any time I have I'm going to spend with them."
Just one more push is needed from Archer in his current bubble as England look to beat Australia in the ODI decider at Emirates Old Trafford on Wednesday and maintain their unbeaten record in series this summer.
"It is what we set out to do. I remember when we first came into the bubble, we said we wanted a clean sweep of the summer and we have it in sight."
Watch the series-deciding third ODI between England and Australia live on Sky Sports Cricket from 12.30pm on Wednesday.
