Former India pacer Zaheer Khan has stated that Jofra Archer is facing both mental and physical challenges. Notably, Archer played for MI Cape Town in the SA20 match against the Paarl Royals, marking his return to competitive cricket after being sidelined due to multiple injuries.
The premier pacer wasted no time returning to form, claiming three wickets and making an impact on his comeback as his team won the curtain raiser by eight wickets. Meanwhile, Archer’s return after 541 days must have been “emotional,” according to Zaheer.
“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,” the former India pacer told Sports 18.
“It’s not easy for anyone to be away from the game for that long” – Zaheer Khan on Jofra Archer
“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,” he added.
Meanwhile, the English pacer appeared in the match against Paarl Royals and appeared to be more determined than ever to get the breakthroughs. Interestingly, Jofra Archer only needed three balls to take his first wicket, and he finished with figures of 3/27 in four overs.
Jofra Archer suffered a freak finger injury, a stress fracture in his lower back, and two elbow operations in 2021. Following that, the right-arm bowler underwent four operations in 15 months to regain full fitness. Meanwhile, MI Cape Town will play Durban Super Giants on January 13 at Newlands in Cape Town.
Get the latest cricket news here, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram for more such updates.
