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Wade Expects Archer To Be Long-Term Threat

MATTHEW WADE of Tasmania takes a catch to dismiss Seb Gotch of Victoria during the Sheffield Shield match between Victoria and Tasmania at MCG in Melbourne, Australia. Picture: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

After facing a barrage of hostile deliveries and indulging in a war of words with Jofra Archer, Matthew Wade is expecting more chin music in the 2021/22 Ashes in Australia.

Wade, who scored a superb 117 in a losing cause in the final Test at The Oval, has gone toe to toe with Archer and the England players in the verbal stakes throughout the series but said he has nothing but respect for his former Hobart Hurricanes teammate.

The pair enjoyed a magnificent battle on day four at The Oval with Archer sending down some menacing deliveries in excess of 154km/h, one of which smashed into Wade's shoulder.

"The way Jofra has taken to Test cricket ... I knew he was obviously a freakish talent - and when he was around the England team I knew he'd be playing this series," Wade said.

"We all thought he'd slow down eventually but I can tell you that through that spell he certainly didn't slow down too much. He kept coming.

"It's good hard Test cricket. I was feeling comfortable with the way I was playing. I felt like I could deal with what he was delivering and he obviously thought he could rip my head off or get me out.

"It was a good battle. There was a little bit of banter, no words really."

Wade expects Archer to be around the England team for a long time and said he will be a handful in Australian conditions, but may be easier to face on the bouncier pitches.

"I think he'll be a handful on any pitch he plays on," Wade said.

"Traditionally Australia is a little bit easier to play the short ball especially because of the consistency of the bounce.

"You can get under balls. You saw a lot this series of guys ducking into balls, myself included.

"The pace of the wickets aren't the same as what we have, and the consistency in Australia.

"He'll be hard work. You've got to bowl probably a touch fuller than what you can bowl sometimes over here with the slowness of the pitches and not as much bounce.

"But he's going to be a handful on any pitch that he bowls on over the next couple of years, and Australia will be no different."