Tell the world, Jofra Archer is back
Jofra Archer is well and truly back.
There's a reason why injuries are stated to be a sportsperson's worst nightmare. Not only does it usually lead to an extended spell on the sidelines, the player may also not be able to match the personal standards they set before the injury.
The player's athletic ability might be slightly compromised due to the injury (as was the case with Andrew Flintoff), or they might be missing match sharpness. One can't really put a finger on what goes wrong either, except knowing that it does.
No one knows if they'll be able to return to their full potential, not even the players themselves.
These are thoughts that would have crossed the mind of England speedster Jofra Archer at some point during his lengthy layoff. The fast bowler suffered an extended spell on the sidelines with multiple injuries (and some wretched luck) keeping him away from the game for nearly 18 months.
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"To be honest I almost booked a ticket to Aus!" ✈️🎟️
England's Jofra Archer has discussed his excitement at returning to the side for their series in South Africa 😆
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If a back stress fracture wasn't bad enough (hello, Jasprit Bumrah), Archer also sustained an elbow injury at home. One can only imagine the frustration he must have gone through during that time.
However, when he took the field in a competitive game after all that time, it didn't take too long for him to pick up where he left off.
Before taking part in the SA20 League, meant to mark his official return to competitive cricket, Jofra Archer took part in a practice match for the Lions against England. The series was played in Abu Dhabi in preparation for England's Test series in Pakistan.
He bowled only nine overs in that game, but that was enough to make his presence felt. Archer rattled Zak Crawley with a sharp bouncer that struck the England opener on the helmet.
So naturally, when he was set to make his official return to competitive cricket with MI Cape Town (MICT), the excitement was palpable, and boy didn't he know it. Archer didn't miss a beat on his return, delivering a spell of 3/27 to help his side get a win in their tournament opener.
With that, the whispers were already blowing in the wind - Jofra Archer is back...
MICT captain Rashid Khan was delighted with his teammate's return, stating that he was glad to be on the field with him and not against him. He said:
"Amazing comeback, it is super hard to do this. We saw him in practice and we knew he was ready to go, Glad to see him back to full tilt. It was nice to be on the field with him, not against him."
Despite being one of the unfortunate batters to face the fast bowler on his return, David Miller also added that he was delighted to see Jofra Archer back. Miller suggested that the fast bowler's return is great for world cricket, especially with him bowling at 150 kmph with ease.
As stated earlier, there are usually questions around the full fitness of players on their return from injury, but there were no signs of any such issues with Archer. He steamed in like he used to, with an imperturbable tranquility to his action and clocked some serious heat without seemingly breaking a sweat.
England's managing director Rob Key stated that a decision on his involvement in the ODI series against South Africa would be made after a couple of games in the SA20. Needless to say, Archer passed that test with flying colors and made his return the national side.
However, his return to international cricket didn't go as planned and had a reality check in store.
After 678 days, Jofra Archer returns International cricket
A 678 day wait ⏰
Three Lions back on his chest 🦁
Ready to do his thing 🙌
@JofraArcher | #EnglandCricket https://t.co/I8LyroDTOM
Jofra Archer's return to the national side didn't go as per the script for England's ace pacer. In the first ODI against South Africa, Archer recorded his worst bowling figures in one-day internationals, finishing with 1/81. Understandably, he missed out on the second ODI with his workload still needing to be managed.
We go again
Like most champions, Jofra Archer was determined to put that poor outing behind him, and that's what he did. The third ODI was a proper statement of intent, not only from England, but from Archer himself wanting to prove to the world that he is well and truly back.
Considering England had only won two of their last eleven ODIs, they needed some inspiration from their captain. Jos Buttler provided that with a Player of the Match performance, scoring a century to steer his side out of trouble from 14/3 at one stage.
However, even the captain couldn't help but suggest that the award probably should have gone to his fast bowler, and with good reason.
Jofra Archer started off with a tight spell and got the rewards for sticking to his discipline in the form of Rassie van der Dussen's wicket. With a hint of width offered up to the batter to lure him into a false stroke, the pacer got one to nip away with the South African batter walking into the trap.
He then dug into his bag of tricks in his second spell, showing some shades of the vintage Jofra Archer most viewers have become accustomed to. Archer outfoxed Aiden Markram with a slower bouncer, executing the leg-cutter and forcing the right-hander into a miscued pull.
That was followed up by a 145 kmph ripper of a thunderbolt to David Miller, nipping back into the left-hander from the back of a length and beating him all ends up. With Miller back in the hut, the visitors breathed much easier for a while before Heinrich Klaasen threatened to take the game away.
Once again, when called upon by his captain, Archer came up with the goods to give his side the prized scalp of Klaasen. He once again used the slower bouncer, showcasing his array of skills by rolling his fingers over the ball.
It didn't take long for him to follow that up by rattling the stumps of Wayne Parnell and Tabraiz Shamsi, to record his maiden five-wicket haul in ODIs.
Finishing with 6/40, Archer registered the third-best figures by an England bowler in the format. The performance helped England record their first win in six matches, snapping the rut the defending champions have been in recent times.
After only 19 ODIs, Jofra Archer has 37 wickets to his name, at an average of 22.7, and an economy of 4.9. England's leading wicket-taker from the World Cup 2019 campaign being at the forefront of this win is perhaps the biggest positive they can take from the series against South Africa.
If he can maintain his fitness and make it to the World Cup in November fully fit, England's hopes of a title defense will undoubtedly be bolstered. Needless to say, the other teams will be well aware of that threat too.
So perhaps you don't have to whisper it anymore. You can tell the world - Jofra Archer is back.