Jofra Archer Impresses With The Bat As He Returns To Action By Playing For Sussex's 2nd XI

England star paceman Jofra Archer has started his road to international return by featuring in Sussex’s second XI against Surrey second XI. Jofra Archer suffered an unfortunate injury caused by accidentally dropping a fish tank and subsequently cutting his right middle finger in early January. Nevertheless, the Barbados-born speedster looked in good shape for Sussex while batting; however, he seemed marginally slow during bowling.

Jofra Archer slammed 35 off 46 balls during his innings for the Sussex. A brief video posted by ESPN Cricinfo showcased that he smashed a four and a six during his knock. Archer looked sharp with the ball, albeit slow, surprising the batsman at the crease with his bounce. The right-arm speedster indeed looks on track to be playing for England in the home summer that starts with the two-Test series against New Zealand.

Jofra Archer’s cut on the right middle finger meant that he had to undergo surgery and miss the initial part of IPL 2021. With significant time needing for recovery, England Cricket Board (ECB) decided that he would miss the entire tournament. Before the 14th season of the lucrative T20 league, the 25-year old was part of England’s tour of India, where he featured in two out of four Tests and all five T20Is until returning home.

Jofra Archer-less Rajasthan Royals’ inconsistent performance in IPL 2021:

Meanwhile, Archer’s IPL franchise Rajasthan Royals managed three wins in seven matches until IPL 2021 underwent suspension. Their bowling line-up struggled to make inroads in the few matches, notably against the Royal Challengers Bangalore and Mumbai Indians – both of who comfortably beat them.

The Barbadian, who earned the player of the tournament award last year, was not the only key player to miss the competition as Ben Stokes returned home due to a finger injury after their first game. On the other hand, Liam Livingstone and Andrew Tye returned home without getting a match, citing bio-bubble fatigue. On Tuesday, the BCCI called off the tournament indefinitely, owing to the rising COVID-19 cases.

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