Jofra Archer grabs 6-fer in first series after return, netizens say, ‘The lad is class’

Jofra Archer ended his first international series after returning to cricket, following a 22-month injury hiatus in heroic fashion on Wednesday. The 27-year-old pacer grabbed a seven-wicket haul in the second innings of the final ODI between England and South Africa. Archer’s effort helped the English side seal a 59-run victory, defending the first innings total of 346/7.

Archer returned to international cricket on January 27 during the first ODI, after playing five games in the inaugural SA20 league. While he managed the figures of 1/81 in his first match for England in almost two years, he silenced the critics with a six-wicket haul in the series finale. Archer’s efforts in the second innings came after Jos Buttler’s century took England’s total to 346/7.

Reactions to Jofra Archer’s six-wicket haul

“I'm just ready to play cricket”

As reported by Sky Sports, English skipper Jos Buttler was all praises for Archer after sealing the win.  "It was fantastic and probably deserving of the player of the match award. When the game was in the balance to come back there and take the wicket of Klaasen broke the game open for us,” Buttler said. Heinrich Klaasen was the highest run scorer for the Proteas men, contributing with 80 runs in 62 balls.

The wicket-keeper batter was dismissed in the 40th over, which reduced South Africa to 278/7, before collapsing to 287/10 in 43.1 overs. Meanwhile, Archer also shed light on his performance and said, “Being back after however long, it's kind of surreal. You only get that feeling after you start playing. It's definitely gone up a few notches”.

The fast bowler revealed thoughts on his journey ahead, hinting at this year’s ICC ODI World Cup 2023. “I had the best time off. I had enough of it to know I don't miss home like I used to. I've done everything I needed to do in the last 18 months and I'm just ready to play cricket. It's just a long road, this is a small tick but I want to see how I am in April, June, July and September. This is just the start of the road,” Archer added.