Jofra Archer‘s appetite to bounce back following injuries was in full display after the fast bowler Jofra Archer put on a magnificent bowling display in England’s victory in the third ODI against South Africa. Jofra Archer (4-18) struck with the second ball of England’s innings to remove South Africa’s opener Aiden Markram (0) before ripping through the top-order, also dismissing Ryan Rickelton (1), Matthew Breetzke (4) and Tristan Stubbs (10).
Jofra Archer backed up England’s batting performance, which saw 21-year-old Jacob Bethell score his maiden professional century, as he bowled an excellent, tight length to wrap up the match in 20.5 overs with the hosts winning by a record-breaking 342 runs. Jofra Archer finished with figures of 4-18 from nine overs as England recorded a 342-run victory over South Africa, the biggest win in ODI history, to close out their three-match series.
The fast bowler Jofra Archer, who also returned to the Test side this summer after several injuries, removed the opening pair of Aiden Markram and Ryan Rickelton before also sending in-form Matthew Breetzke back to the changing rooms after just 10 balls. Jofra Archer managed to feature in all three ODIs against the Proteas in a five-day period, reducing worries about his fitness ahead of a busy winter schedule.
Brendon McCullum expects Jofra Archer to be a “huge player” for England in Australia this winter and described the upcoming Ashes tour as “the biggest series of all of our lives”. England’s coach also hinted that Jacob Bethell still has time to force his way into their side for the first Test in Perth after his maiden hundred on Sunday.
Jofra Archer set up England’s world-record thrashing of South Africa with a new-ball spell of 4 for 10 in seven overs in Southampton. He made his Test comeback against India in July, taking nine wickets in two appearances, and McCullum said that his injury-free summer has vindicated England’s cautious approach with his return.
It was box office office boxing- Brendon McCullum on Jofra Archer’s spell
England’s head coach Brendon McCullum was all praise for Jofra Archer and his four-wicket haul in the third ODI of the three-match series between England and South Africa. Archer was adjudged the Player of the Match award in England’s record-shattering 342-run win.
McCullum also shed light on the reason behind easing Jofra Archer back into the mix instead of hastening his recovery process. He said that the team management wanted to provide every chance to the pacer to participate in the “biggest series” for England, referring the upcoming Ashes.
“That was an unbelievable spell. It was box-office bowling. [It’s] not just his pace, but his skill, his ability to shift it both ways and to test batters with the steep bounce he gets. He’s a proper cricketer, hence why we’ve taken our time with him to make sure that we give him every chance to be in the biggest series of all of our lives,” stated McCullum, as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.
The former Kiwi cricketer underscored the management’s plan in handling Jofra Archer’s workload. He concluded by admitting that Archer will be a critical player for England when they play Australia Down Under.
“We’ve had a good plan with Jof over the last little while and he’s rewarded us for the type of planning that we’ve had with performances like tonight. He’s going to be a huge player when we get to Australia, as a number of others are. But I don’t think we’ll wrap him up [in cotton wool] per se. We’ll just keep working with him on how he’s going and work out what’s best for him,” mentioned McCullum.
Jofra Archer was one of the prominent performers for England in the recently-concluded ODI leg of the home series against the Proteas. He picked eight wickets in three matches while conceding runs at an economy rate of only 3.66.
South Africa will play three T20Is against England between September 10 to September 14. They will then take on Namibia in a one-off T20I before heading over to Pakistan for an all-format series including two Tests, three T20Is and three ODIs.
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