Jofra Archer: The return of the king – for whom the rules do not apply

First published in: Wisden Cricket Monthly Issue #78.

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It’s a little over five years since WCM sat down with Jofra Archer for an exclusive interview at the County Ground in Hove. Three weeks after we met, the Barbados-born fast bowler would become eligible to represent England, fast-tracked after the ECB had conveniently cut their seven-year qualification period to three.

It was the worst-kept secret in English cricket that Archer, then 23, would be parachuted into Eoin Morgan’s World Cup squad, but our interview was only agreed to on the condition that he wouldn’t be asked about the forthcoming tournament or the Ashes.

He was polite but diffident, only really coming to life when playing with Chris Jordan’s French bulldog on the outfield or talking about the family and life he’d left behind in the Caribbean.

Two months out from his England debut, he was already a global star following a breakout IPL season in 2018. In the 2019 edition, he would boast the best economy rate in the tournament while spearheading the Rajasthan Royals attack.

"I’d say I’m a bit fortunate with the way that everything’s happened," he said on that bright, sunny day in Hove, his world alive with possibilities. "I guess I’m doing something right, because everything’s been going OK so far."

Handed the new ball in the World Cup curtain-raiser against South Africa at The Oval, Archer was electric. In his second over he forced Hashim Amla to retire hurt after smashing him in the grille, in his fourth he found extra bounce on a slowish surface to dismiss Aiden Markram, and in his fifth he bounced out Faf du Plessis.

He coolly collected figures of 3-27, seemingly unmoved by the hype which had built up around him, not all of it positive.

After going wicketless in the defeat to Pakistan which followed, Archer picked up four consecutive three-fors and then produced a sublime spell in the semi-final trouncing of Australia, trapping Aaron Finch LBW with his first delivery before outfoxing Glenn Maxwell with a perfectly executed knuckle ball.

Three days later, he held his nerve under unimaginable pressure to deliver the grand prize. "An unbelievable talent," said his captain after the nerve-shredder at Lord’s.

It could hardly have been a more perfect start to Archer’s England career, and he showcased his skills with the red ball later that summer, producing an unforgettably ferocious spell on Test debut at Lord’s and finishing the Ashes with 22 wickets across four Tests.

Since the final Test of that series, when Archer took first-innings figures of 6-60 at The Oval to be named Player of the Match, he has played 31 of a possible 183 fixtures for England across all formats, missing three World Cups in that time.

Between March 2021 and June 2022, he had four operations: on his finger to remove a shard of glass following a freak fish-tank cleaning injury, on his lower back, and two on his right elbow.

He wasn’t allowed to pick up a cricket ball for three months, gradually rebuilding his fitness before making a comeback in early 2023, until a recurrence of the stress fracture in his elbow sidelined him again.

Before his selection for the 2024 T20 World Cup, he had bowled only 92 overs in professional cricket across the previous two years, and none since May 2023.

"It’s been a while and, honestly, I don’t know if I’ve got another stop-start year in me," Archer told The Athlete’s Voice in April. "That’s the truth. I don’t know if I’ve got another one."

And so it’s hardly surprising that the excitement around his return is tempered by a gnawing sense of anxiety. It would be rash to describe his latest comeback as a last chance, but how many more times will Archer, who turned 29 in April, be prepared to put his body – let alone his mind – through the ringer?

Chris Jordan, who first recommended Archer to Sussex after facing him in the nets in Barbados, has felt the highs and lows as keenly as anyone. The prospect of the pair walking out together at the Kensington Oval for the World Cup final on 29th June, on the island they both still call home, is almost too perfect to imagine.

"It’s a nice storyline, isn’t it," says Jordan, speaking to WCM a fortnight before England’s opener against Scotland in Bridgetown. "I can set my own personal goals, but to openly speak about it too much, I don’t think I want to do that."

Jordan, who will be competing in his fifth T20 World Cup after earning a recall off the back of an impressive winter on the franchise circuit, was recently back in Barbados to see family and took the opportunity to net with Archer.

"When I’m training with Jof, it’s always a good time. At the moment he seems in a really happy place. I’m as excited as everyone else [about his return] because he’s so close to me, but I’m a fan as well. I really enjoying watching him play.

"It’s tough, really tough," he says of witnessing his friend’s injury travails. "Not only is he a teammate, but I do consider him family as well. So to see a family member struggle is definitely not a nice thing.

"I think he will come out of it a lot stronger. I’m always a big believer that everything happens for a reason. He’s gone through the journey he’s had to go through, and for him to even be back in the frame is a really big achievement.

"At different points he might have been doubting if he’d ever play again. I’m really excited for England fans, and his personal fans, to see him play again. Because he is box office, for sure."

Tymal Mills, Archer’s Sussex and sometime England teammate, can empathise with the mental anguish that comes with not being able to do the thing that sets you apart.

"It's rubbish," says Mills, who has a congenital back condition which hampered his early career and led to him becoming a T20 specialist.

"As professional athletes, most of us have only really known one thing. It’s potentially the one thing in the world that you’re better at than most people, so when you’re injured and you have that taken away, you definitely lose a bit of identity.

"Something I’ve struggled with when I’m injured is what you do with your days. You might do rehab for one or two hours in a day, then you’re rattling around a little bit.

"It can be a very lonely place. It forces you to have other things going on, other avenues, passions and interests, because otherwise you can go a little bit crazy, especially when you’re missing games you should be playing in. Jofra’s obviously found it tough at times, especially being as good as he is."

Mills, who may well have made the World Cup squad himself if it weren’t for Archer’s return, says it was a no-brainer to get him back in the side as soon as possible.

"Having someone who can bowl in all three phases of the game in white-ball cricket is gold dust. He’s the type of player who can change matches, in any format, and someone you want to tune in for. He makes cricket a better watch."

The smile said it all: one part elation to two parts relief.

After conceding 15 from his first over in the T20I against Pakistan at Edgbaston in late May, his first professional match for 385 days, Archer snared Azam Khan to pick up a wicket which must have seemed out of reach during his darkest moments.

Bowling consistently at 90mph, he returned later in the innings to dismiss the dangerous Imad Wasim, conceding a solitary boundary from his final three overs to return figures of 4-0-28-2.

"Jofra Archer was brilliant," said Jos Buttler after a stirring comeback which also included a four-ball cameo of 12*.

"You could see his emotion, taking wickets for England again. But we need to temper those expectations because he’s not going to be the same straight away."

He’s right, of course. Given the length of time that Archer has spent on the sidelines, unsure at times whether he’ll even play again, it’s entirely unreasonable to expect him to bowl England to World Cup glory. And yet.

When Archer made his brief comeback at the start of 2023, it was startling how quickly he was able to recapture his pace and rhythm.

At the SA20, playing for the first time in 18 months, he collected 10 wickets in six matches before claiming career-best figures of 6-40 at Kimberley in the ODI series which followed. He then took nine wickets at 16.11 on England’s white-ball tour of Bangladesh before injury struck once again.

Jordan says he’s never seen a cricketer with as much natural ability as Archer.

There’s a smoothness and serenity in the way he plays the game that’s almost otherwordly; despite the horrors of the last few years, that’s never left him.

When you’re as loose as Jofra, there’s no need for looseners. The normal rules don’t apply.

Abridged version. For the full article, check out Wisden Cricket Monthly Issue #78.

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