Root: Returning Archer bowling 'at the speed of light'

England quick Jofra Archer is bowling ‘at the speed of light’ as he prepares to make his return for the third and final Test against West Indies at Old Trafford.

His skipper Joe Root issued the warning on the eve of the series decider, scheduled to start on Friday at 8pm AEST, but stopped short of revealing his final XI as England mull their options.

Forecast wet weather in Manchester is one consideration, as is the fitness of Ben Stokes, who is being watched carefully after suffering tightness in his quad following his second Test heroics.

Should Stokes be forced to play as a specialist batsman, England will have to adjust their formula, potentially bringing in another allrounder in place of either a batter, or spinner Dom Bess.

James Anderson and Mark Wood have returned to England’s 14-player squad after being rested for the second Test, providing a headache for selectors.

England fielded a pace attack of Stuart Broad, Chris Woakes and Sam Curran – a late addition to the final XI after Archer’s biosecure breach ruled him out of the match – alongside Stokes as they romped to a 113-run victory to level the series.

However, that line-up is set to change again with Root talking up Archer’s return to the nets after his five-day isolation.

It comes after Archer admitted he struggled to find motivation in his The Daily Mail column earlier this week and lashed out at the attention his transgression received.

"I think Jofra will be ready (to play)," Root said.

"He’s had two good days of training and he’s got a smile on his face. He’s bowled the speed of light over the last couple of days.

"One thing on Jofra, we have to understand he’s made a mistake, he’s been big enough to admit to that mistake, he’s taken his punishment, he’s apologised to the group – which is never an easy thing to do – and as far as I’m concerned he’s trained well and is ready to play."

It was revealed on Thursday that England and West Indies will compete for a new Richards-Botham Trophy next time they meet in Tests, with the new silverware replacing the current Wisden Trophy.

It honours legendary Windies batsman Sir Vivian Richards, and England great Sir Ian Botham.

Richards was the last West Indies captain to seal a Test series win in England, in 1988 – a drought current leader Jason Holder is desperate to end.

Holder said the tourists also had yet to settle on a final XI for the series decider.

They took an unchanged side into the first Old Trafford Test, but the three-day turnarounds between each match will have taken a toll on the quicks, while off-spinner Rahkeem Cornwall presents another option after sitting out the first two Tests.

"I think he is a quality off-spinner and no doubt to me he would be the best spinner in this series," said Holder of Cornwall.

"But not only that he brings a bit more with slip catching and batting as well."

Holder also threw his weight behind out-of-sorts No.3 Shai Hope, who scored 16, 9, 25 and 7 in the first two matches.

"All our players have got my full backing," Holder said.

"I’m 100 per cent behind Shai, we all know what Shai can produce, he’s done it before in Test cricket.

"I’ve got full confidence in Shai to get some runs.

"He has got starts so far in this series so he’s not far off from converting the start into something really special for us, so he’s got my full support."

Nkrumah Bonner is the sole back-up middle-order bat in the Windies’ main 15-player squad, while Holder confirmed they would not dip into their back-up squad – brought on tour as one of many COVOID-19 measures – unless an injury occurred within the main group.