ESPNCricinfo in their recent annual awards named England pacer Jofra Archer as the Debutant of the Year.
England fast bowler Jofra Archer was titled as ‘Debutant of the Year’ by ESPNCricinfo in their annual awards. Archer leaves behind Pakistan’s opening batsman Abid Ali and West Indies off-spinner Rahkeem Cornwall for the title.
Archer exclaimed “I just want to thank the guys at ESPN for awarding me this Debutant of the Year award. I really appreciate it and it’s nice to know my efforts haven’t gone unseen!
“Obviously, everyone is as good as their team, and I wouldn’t be here without the great team I’m in.
“I’ve been welcomed from the very first moment I put an England shirt on, and hopefully the best is yet to come.”
Archer first came into limelight after his tremendous outperformance in Sussex, which later led him to make his debut for England against Ireland in May 2019.
Archer made the most of the opportunity given to him at Sussex, followed by his home ground debut against Pakistan with a score of 4-2-6-1 which made him a star in the international cricket circuit and fixed spot in the Englands’ World Cup squad.
Archer didn’t let Eoin Morgan down in the World Cup as well and became one of the reasons to get the World Cup title home. He was the leading wicket-taker, with 20 wickets, three-wicket hauls in five of six matches and the nerve-wracking super over of the finals.
Archer was later given an opportunity to be a part of the Ashes test, amides legendary pacer James Anderson getting injured. Archer made sure to impress with the red ball as well. Archer on his debut at Lord’s had reached a speed of 96mph while facing Australia’s’ Steve Smith, followed by a total of 22 wickets in the series. His Ashes numbers comprised of a score of 6-45 at Headingley and another six-wicket haul at The Oval.
After the test winded up at Oval, Ben Stokes said: “I don’t think I’ve seen a more talented bowler in my time.
“When you can bowl 90mph and with the control that he’s got, then he is going to be a huge threat anywhere in the world.
“It is very rare for a 24-year-old to be able to come in, be exposed to this environment and then step up and improve game by game as quickly as Jof is doing it.”
