"You feel you have a personal connection to it" - Jofra Archer compares nail-biting super-over to England's Euro 2020 defeat
England speedster Jofra Archer recollected the super-over situation he found himself in during the 2019 World Cup final against New Zealand. Archer drew comparisons between that game and England's loss in the Euro 2020 final. The Three Lions lost to Italy in the final of the tournament in a penalty shootout.
Archer, who was at the stadium during the final at Wembley, watched Jadon Sancho, Bukayo Saka and Marcus Rashford miss their penalties. As a result, all three players faced racial abuse from certain sections of football fans in the country.
Speaking in an upcoming three-part documentary on the life of England's black Test cricketers, Jofra Archer said the situation was relatable. He saw all three penalties go in vain and revealed it felt similar to the high-pressure game during the 2019 World Cup final.
"To be honest, it was so predictable. You could see it from a mile away. I was lucky enough to be at the ground and I knew how I felt when the first penalty missed, then the second and then the last. You feel you have a personal connection to it, having been in a final and in a high-pressure situation and been entrusted with the match-defining moment," said Archer.
Jofra Archer predicts the consequences if England had lost the 2019 World Cup final
The 26-year-old stated he would have taken a long break from cricket if England had not lifted the World Cup in 2019. Archer stressed that black kids should be encouraged instead of being forced to run away from the sport.
"If England didn’t win the 50-over World Cup, I would have taken a long nice break away from cricket and away from England as well probably. If we had lost, who knows what would have happened? I could have been abused every time I stepped outside my house. A lot of black kids might look at what is happening off the field and say, ‘Look at the abuse they get, I don’t want to be in that sport,'" said Archer.
Speaking of the super-over situation, Archer held his nerves and defended 16 runs in the last over to script England's first World Cup victory. The Barbados-born bowler is currently nursing an elbow injury, which has ruled him out of action for the rest of the year. He aims to return to the England colours for the West Indies tour in early 2022.