The maverick, the MVP of IPL 2020, the star of the 2019 World Cup, the one who kept his nerve in the super-over, our wild card!

Imagine a smooth, silky run-up to the crease, a very natural bowling action, ball after ball coming down at 150kph, the ability to bowl in every situation, and then one of the cleanest hitters with the bat at the death. That’s Jofra Archer for you.

Born and raised in Barbados, Archer started off with the West Indian under-19 team in 2013-14, but soon moved over to Sussex with a commitment to play for England. At the age of 24, such was his talent and such was the reputation he’d built up, that the ECB slashed his waiting period to qualify for an England shirt by four years! What followed immediately was a World Cup medal, an impressive start to his Test career and flourishing success around the world in franchise cricket.

He’s coming back from a two-year long layoff, which started with an injured elbow and went onto a lower back stress fracture. But in the very first spell on his return to competitive cricket, he was back doing what he does best: firing bouncers around for fun and getting batters hopping around. The pace is right up there. The accuracy is right up there. The hunger is right up there. The Newlands is ready for him to light up!