Jofra Archer bats for crowd simulation during closed door matches
England pace bowling all-rounder Jofra Archer has called for crowd simulation to be brought into use to bring about a feeling of crowds present at a match if cricket resumes behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Jofra Archer, during a BBC podcast 'Stumped', shed light on how crowd simulation can definitely be brought into the picture, similar to how music is played at the stadiums during a match.
"We play music at cricket. Why can’t we play some crowd simulation? We can play the clapping, play the oohs and the aahs and just try to make it as realistic as possible,” Jofra Archer said.
Back in March, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced the suspension of all forms of cricket until May 28 in the wake of the coronavirus threat. However, a few weeks ago, the Board announced an extension of putting cricket on hold until July 1.
A host of England cricketers have voiced out their opinion on the potential resumption of cricket over the next few months, and last week, pacer Mark Wood said that the England pacers would not mind going into isolation if that can lead to them playing cricket this summer.
Jofra Archer added that he's open to playing cricket even at this time, given that the safety of the players is assured at all times.
"Anything that can help cricket but keep us safe as possible I am all for," Jofra Archer said.
Jofra Archer's contribution to England cricket
One of England cricket's biggest success stories, Jofra Archer has cemented his spot in the England cricket team across formats, having made his debut back in May 2019.
The speedster was one of the major driving factors behind England's 2019 World Cup triumph, having picked 20 wickets from 11 matches that helped the Eoin Morgan-led side go all the way in the tournament.
The 25-year-old fast bowler has played 7 Tests, 14 ODIs and the lone T20I for the England cricket team, and will turn out for the Rajasthan Royals in this year's IPL 2020.