Jofra Archer

Over the years, West Indies have produced great fast bowlers who can clock it up to 145kph at will. Jofra Archer is one such bowler produced by the Windies, but it is a shame that a bowler of such talent was neglected by the board, and hence he decided to play for England.

Born in Barbados, Jofra Archer has represented the West Indies at the under-19 level, but despite putting in consistent performances, he was neglected by the West Indian board. Frustrated by the lack of playing time, Archer decided to shift his base to England. He joined Sussex county club and made his much awaited debut in the year 2016. 

An impressive season for Sussex caught the eyes of the Big Bash League teams in Australia, and the Hobart Hurricanes took a gamble and included him in the squad for the 2017 BBL season. He repaid their faith by picking up 16 wickets in 12 matches at an average of just above 23.

Many IPL sides took notice of this pace bowler, but it was Rajasthan Royals who cashed in for INR 7.20 crore. He scalped 15 wickets in 10 matches and he was regularly clocking up to 150kph to trouble the batters.

In the lead-up to the World Cup in 2019, England played Ireland in May 2019, and Archer was a surprise inclusion in the squad that raised many eyebrows. He bowled well in his debut ODI match as England defeated their neighbours convincingly. 

Archer was included in England’s 15-man squad for the World Cup. He played all the matches as England won their first-ever 50-over World Cup. Archer was superb with the new ball as the tall and lanky pacer took 20 wickets in the tournament and tormented the opposition with pace. England faced New Zealand in the finals and the match went down to the super over. Archer bowled the penultimate over and snatched the victory for his team.

Following some red hot bowling performances in the shorter formats, Archer was included in the Test squad for the 2019 Ashes series. In the third Test match of the series, Archer took his first fifer as England won that historic match by one wicket.

Following his success in the IPL 2018, Archer was retained by Rajasthan, and in the following two seasons, he produced staggering numbers with the ball, taking 31 wickets in 25 matches.

Archer missed a lot of games for due to injury and Rajasthan Royals were left with no choice but to let him go. In IPL 2022, Mumbai Indians roped him in but he was not as effective as he was for the Royals. The pacer played only 5 matches and then was ruled out due to injury. 

Injuries kept him away from competitive cricket for over a year but the pacer made a comeback just before the T20 World Cup 2024 and was named in the 15-man squad for England. 

Archer is all about pace. There is no one in world cricket at the moment who can match up with him in terms of raw pace. He is still young and has a lot to learn. Archer is clearly not a finished product yet, but England would be hoping that he stays fit and plays for the Three Lions for a long time.

(As of May 2024)