In case there was any doubt, Jofra Archer is English cricket's newest icon

NICK HOWSON AT HEADINGLEY: The air of anticipation before he comes on to bowl and the inevitable results make him an unmissable enigma

Stuart Broad has completed his opening over. It might not have been perfect in terms of length, but it has the out-of-nick David Warner looking like a drunk Michael Flatley. The third delivery is an 84.4mph beauty which lifts off the seam and beats the opener's bat. Perversely, if the New South Wales native had been in better form he probably would have succumbed.

But despite having over 450 Test scalps and being England's leading wicket-taker in this series, Broad is merely the warm-up act. As so often during his England career, he is very much playing second fiddle.

His jumper hasn't even been peeled off. The ball not been thrown his way. Yet the buzz around the ground is deafening. Wandering in from fine leg in a lackadaisical manner, Jofra Archer removes his cap, revealing a new hairdo which will soon be requested at hairdressers up and down the country.

The umpire has barely grabbed the Barbados man's sweater before that buzz turns to cheers. Then the Headingley announcer confirms the inevitable: "Bowling from The Emerald Stand end, Jofra. Archer."

Cheers reverberate around West Yorkshire. The birth of a new England cricketing hero is confirmed. If anyone needed any convincing after the World Cup final super over, they got it at Lord's with the most dramatic Test debut in recent memory. This is adulation in action.

^{Jofra Archer took the first wicket of the day by dismissing Marcus Harris}

The 12 balls which follow only work to add to his reputation. The opening over leaves Marcus Harris in a daze. The ball is darting around under the cloud cover. Archer is as skilful as they come and it takes just two balls for him to realise that a nagging length and not electric pace is the order of the day.

An 84mph ball slips through Harris, who is starting to regret his recall for a seventh Test outing. The rest of the over is a thorough examination of the opener's technique, ending with a four through fine leg.

A few minutes later the 24-year-old is back and almost as if he access to his own rain radar, he strikes before play is curtailed. Behind all the pace and vicious bouncers, there is a subtle finesse to Archer which gets forgotten in this format. After all, it is his mastery which has seen him excel with the white ball.

Once he achieves the right line and length, the unavoidable occurs. Harris keeps the ball out but only edges to Jonny Bairstow. Archer roars in celebration, but having taken five wickets in the second Test last week it is a businessmanlike moment of reflection. This is just the start. The crowd respond, anointing the newest star of this wonderful format.

The Barbados seamer is everything modern-day cricket needs. He is a relatable, charismatic, confident and talented individual. Video game Fortnite is his entertainment of choice. Bowling left-arm spin forms his warm-up technique. Batting practice includes attempts at trying to copy Steve Smith's leave technique. He'll even try and nutmeg Ben Stokes with a medicine ball as his teammate bowls into the glove before play.

This is a guy living the best cricket life.

Behind that veneer of calm is an individual who won't allow his talent to be wasted. As mentioned throughout the droves written about Archer over the last few months, he puts such little pressure on himself he is in the perfect place to perform to an optimum level. In an era where pressure is often a pathway to mental health problems, the West Indian is an embodiment of how to deal with scrutiny in the modern era.

As Test cricket struggles to capture the attention in the same way as T20, it needs more of these kinds of characters to remain relevant among the next generation of fans. Archer should be the poster boy for the new wave of eyes to the game and has the personality off-the-field and with the ball to keep them interested.

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The recently-broadcast Kevin Pietersen documentary series on Sky Sports highlighted that KP was a bar-clearing sportsperson. Every moment of him at the crease was an event. As it turned out, plenty of what occurred away from it became an event too. He provided fans with stunning moments of brilliance, and journalists with a good living for over 10 years.

Boxing and tennis reporters will tell you about the moment they recognised Anthony Joshua and Andy Murray would do the same for them. Sometimes the realisation that you have a future superstar sportsperson in your midst can't be achieved merely by numbers, it is often about instinct and intuition. The dawning of a new age doesn't happen very often, but you don't forget it when it does.

And that is the feeling you get about Archer. You could conclusively argue that the pinnacle of his career has already been reached thanks to England's roller-coaster summer. It lays the platform for a decade when English cricket will firmly be at his feet. It should be one hell of a ride.

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