[Pictures] USA’s Aaron Jones shares childhood photos with Jofra Archer amid 2024 T20 World Cup
Aaron Jones, who represented the USA at the 2024 T20 World Cup, has shared childhood pictures with England pacer Jofra Archer. In a series of photos, the duo could be seen in shorts, domestic team jerseys, and international jerseys of the USA and England, respectively.
Notably, the two players have represented Barbados in Under-19 cricket and are primary and secondary school schoolmates. The pair spent their childhood dreaming of playing cricket together for West Indies.
On Tuesday, June 25, Jones shared the pictures on X and captioned the post:
“From boys to men. It really has been an incredible journey!”
The duo have gone from strength to strength in their cricket career. While Archer has established himself as the pace spearhead of England, Jones led in the absence of regular USA captain Monank Patel, who was injured, in a few games.
Jones smashed an unbeaten 94 and 36* against Canada and Pakistan, respectively, as the USA qualified for the Super-8 stage. The right-hander, however, failed to deliver against South Africa, West Indies, and England in the second round.
Meanwhile, Archer has bagged nine wickets in seven matches at the 2024 T20 World Cup following his international comeback after a lengthy injury layoff. The 29-year-old recently scalped 3/40 against the Proteas and remains a vital player for the defending champions.
“He’s very competitive regardless the situation” – Aaron Jones hails Jofra Archer
Aaron Jones recently lauded his former teammate Jofra Archer and spoke about their camaraderie both on and off the field.
“We went primary school and secondary school together. It was always a competition. He's very competitive regardless the situation. Even outside cricket, when we played soccer, when we played road tennis, anything to be honest. He's a very competitive person," he told ESPNcricinfo.
“It's actually really an amazing journey, growing up as kids and then obviously branching off the plane. At that time we couldn't imagine playing for other countries. We always thought that we would play for Barbados and then West Indies. We got opportunities elsewhere and here we are now,” Jones added.
Jofra Archer will next be seen in action when England take on India in the second semi-final at the Providence Stadium in Guyana on Thursday, June 27.