Jofra Archer's bouncer that struck Steve Smith on the neck at Lord's in 2019 exposed both the danger and drama of fast bowling — Smith retired hurt, was concussed, missed the third Test, and returned to score twin hundreds, making it one of the Ashes' most emotional storylines.
Jofra Archer had made his Test debut for England just days before Lord's — becoming immediately the fastest bowler in England's attack at around 93-96mph. Australian batsmen had not seen sustained express pace from an English bowler since the early 2000s.
Steve Smith had returned to Test cricket for this Ashes series after serving a 12-month ban for the ball-tampering scandal. He was determined to prove himself and had scored 144* and 142 in the first Test at Edgbaston — confirming he was still the world's best batsman.
Australia were batting at Lord's in their second innings. Smith came to the wicket with Australia looking to build a lead. Archer, fresh and hostile, had already unsettled several batsmen. He targeted Smith with short balls from over the wicket.
Smith was initially comfortable — he had faced pace before and had a distinctive shuffling technique away from danger balls. Then Archer bowled one that rose sharply and tailed into Smith's neck.
On 14 August 2019, Jofra Archer bowled a bouncer that Smith failed to evade properly — it struck him on the back of the neck. Smith collapsed to the ground in distress, clutched his neck, and was eventually helped from the field. He was assessed for concussion and cleared to bat later in the same innings, scoring 92 before being dismissed, but was subsequently diagnosed with a delayed concussion and missed the third Test at Headingley. Smith returned for the fourth Test at Old Trafford and scored 211 and 82 — monumental innings that defined his Ashes campaign. The episode became a defining image of 2019 Ashes cricket.
Archer's bouncer strikes Smith on the back of the neck — Smith goes down immediately
Long delay as medical team assesses Smith — ground falls silent with genuine concern
Smith clears concussion test, returns to bat, makes 92 in same innings
Next day: Smith diagnosed with delayed concussion; ruled out of third Test
Old Trafford, 4th Test: Smith scores 211 and 82 — arguably the Ashes' defining performance
2019-08-14
Lord's: Archer's bouncer strikes Smith on the neck; Smith retires hurt
2019-08-14
Smith passes concussion test and returns to score 92
2019-08-15
Delayed concussion diagnosed; Smith ruled out of 3rd Test
2019-09-04
Old Trafford 4th Test: Smith scores 211 and 82 in heroic return
“I never want to hurt anyone. I was bowling at full pace and it wasn't intentional. I texted Steve after to check he was okay.”
“It hit me on the neck and I felt dazed. When I came back and got 92, I didn't even know how bad the concussion was until the next day.”
“Obviously you don't want to see any player hurt. But Jofra was bowling within the laws of the game — it's part of Test cricket.”
Smith's concussion sparked a major debate about bouncer usage rules, helmet design standards, and concussion protocols in cricket. The ICC reviewed concussion substitute rules in the aftermath.
Archer apologised publicly and was clearly distressed that he had injured Smith. He maintained he was simply bowling as fast as possible — the bouncer was a legitimate delivery, not aimed at Smith's head deliberately.
The physical contest was a defining moment in the Ashes — Archer's pace had rarely been witnessed at that level in English cricket, and Smith's vulnerability showed even the best batsman could be undone. But Smith's subsequent twin hundreds were cricket's finest comeback narrative.
The incident accelerated improvements in cricket helmet design and formalized concussion substitute rules in Test cricket. It also reinvigorated discussions about how cricket balances legitimate intimidatory fast bowling with player safety.
For Smith, the subsequent twin hundreds gave his Ashes story a remarkable arc: knocked down at Lord's, rising at Old Trafford. He finished the series with 774 runs at 110.57 — one of the great individual Ashes campaigns.
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