Zaheer Khan Speaks About the Return of Jofra Archer

Jofra Archer made his official comeback to cricket for the first time after nearly over a year. Archer, who was purchased by Mumbai Indians in the IPL 2022 mega auctions, is also a part of MI’s squad for South Africa’s inaugural T20 league, SA20. Playing for MI Cape town in the season opener, announcing his comeback Jofra Archer picked up 3 wickets giving 27 runs in 4 overs. Mumbai Indians’ director of cricket Zaheer Khan opened up on the condition of the pacer.

“It has to be an emotional one for him as well. When you are playing after so long, pretty much your career is under scrutiny, how you are going to come back. You have to put in a whole lot of hard work, you need to be very patient as well. So, it is not just the physical battle which he must be fighting, it is mental battle as well. It’s not easy for anyone to be away from the game for that long. Injury is something that is not in your hands, but how you manage yourself it takes a lot of energy,” Zaheer Khan said.

Injury is something that is not in your hands says Zaheer Khan on Jofra Archer

The recurring injuries made it harder than expected for the 27-year-old pacer to continue his commitment to international cricket. In the last 15 months, Jofra Archer underwent as many as 4 surgeries to get back into the cricketing field. The pacer initially had surgery for a freak finger injury which was followed by 2 elbow surgery and then a back stress fracture. Archer last played for England in 2021. His complete fitness will not just be crucial for the Mumbai Indians franchise but for the England Cricket Team too.

Jofra Archer played an extremely important role for England during their 2019 World Cup victory. Keeping in mind the ODI World Cup in India, the pacer’s experience of playing IPL on the Indian soil can come in handy for the double World Champions. In addition to this, the Ashes series is on the line and the new coach and captain are most likely to back Jofra Archer to deliver well. Speaking about SA 20, Mumbai Indians Cape Town won their first game by 8 wickets. Their next match is against Durban SuperGiants on January 13.