Jofra Archer: Wisden Cricketer of the Year – Almanack

In his very first international season, Jofra Archer became a sensation, and contributed to a resurgence in cricket’s popularity, writes Will Macpherson on the Wisden Cricketers of the Year.

In the months that followed, Archer became a sensation, and contributed to a resurgence in cricket’s popularity. He is a 25-year-old of his time: a voracious player of “Fortnite” and “Call of Duty” on his beloved Xbox, and a compulsive tweeter, his account a mix of memes, random thoughts (will the wifi work in Port Elizabeth?) and – the further back you dig – entertaining observations on cricket.

The West Indian-born Archer was only a few weeks qualified when he first played for England, a one-dayer in Dublin, where Ireland’s No. 8 Mark Adair became his first international victim. His Test debut at Lord’s three months later (he had missed the Ashes opener with a side injury) was England’s most anticipated since Kevin Pietersen 14 years earlier. He left quite a mark. “It was comforting to debut in England, and Lord’s was the best place to do it,” he says. “I loved that home support, and was very grateful.”

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He had already got used to special moments. During the World Cup, he bowled Bangladesh’s Soumya Sarkar at Cardiff with a ball that flew off the stumps and over the boundary – on the full. In the semi-final at Edgbaston, he dismissed Australia’s Glenn Maxwell with a perfect knuckle ball. Then came the super over, where he held his nerve after New Zealand’s Jimmy Neesham hit him for six. In his first two Tests – searing pace at Lord’s, supreme swing at Leeds – he showed his sophistication. (England fans loved his personality too: when a Headingley steward confiscated an inflatable watermelon, Archer ran 50 yards to return it to the raucous Western Terrace.)

Of his spell at Lord’s, which ruled Smith out of three innings with concussion, he says: “No one can bowl as fast as that every single time. It’s impossible. At Headingley, it was dark and chilly, and I had to bowl to conditions.” There were a few grumbles when his pace dropped once more, at Old Trafford; tours of New Zealand and South Africa were not easy, despite another five-for, at Centurion, and Joe Root’s handling of him was regular fodder for the pundits. But 30 wickets in his first seven Tests spoke for itself.

[caption id=”attachment_142785″ align=”alignnone” width=”800″] Archer was England’s leading-wicket taker at the World Cup with 20 scalps at 23.05[/caption]

Jofra Chioke Archer was born in Bridgetown, Barbados, on April 1, 1995, the son of an English father, Frank Archer (who was born in Catford, south-east London, and was a Tube driver), and a Bajan mother, Joelle Waithe. Growing up on the island, he believes, fostered his competitive spirit. “I was always outside, always playing,” he says. If it was not cricket, a love fostered by his stepfather, Patrick, it was football or athletics. And when it was cricket, it wasn’t just fast bowling. Restlessly waiting his turn to bat or bowl, Archer would practise spin with his other arm; even now, he warms up by bowling serviceable left-arm orthodox.

Pace bowling had begun at 13, but he wasn’t “strong or fast enough, and didn’t stand out against my peers”. Despite that, Nhamo Winn, his coach at Christchurch Foundation School, just up from Oistins Fish Fry, remembers that Archer was regularly touching 80mph within two years. Yet Archer say he still does not feel quick. “You see the speed gun, but you never really know. I would like to face myself to find out.”

As a schoolboy in 2010, he was at the Kensington Oval to watch Paul Collingwood’s England win the World T20. His favourite player was Craig Kieswetter: Archer now wears his No. 22 jersey. The idea of representing England (his only passport is British) crystallised in 2015, when he was still stewing over his omission from the West Indies Under-19 World Cup squad the previous year. Chris Jordan, his friend and fellow Bajan, introduced him to Sussex.

“I knew I had a British passport, so it was always a thought,” says Archer. “But I thought it was too far away. I often said to myself I wouldn’t play for England because I had played for Windies Under-19s, and the guys in England had a head start. They would pick their own. Seeing CJ do well, I started to believe it could be possible.”

Moving to Sussex, where he played for Middleton, was not simple: “Having to leave where you are familiar with, to start another life away from your family and friends, is daunting.” A stress fracture caused him to remodel his now famously relaxed run-up, and things took off in 2016. Having played for Sussex Seconds, he was handed a first-class debut against the touring Pakistanis at Hove, and picked up five wickets. A run in the Championship side followed: in 20 first-class matches in 2016 and 2017, he collected 89 wickets at 26, and scored six half-centuries.

In September 2016, Archer had been preparing to return to Barbados. “I was about to pack up my stuff and go home for the winter, when Sussex said: ‘You can’t leave. We need to put you through winter training.’ My mum found it harder than anyone. I had to tell her I wasn’t coming home.” It proved worthwhile. His county performances led to Twenty20 gigs in Bangladesh, Australia and Pakistan, then an IPL contract with Rajasthan Royals. His status as one of the planet’s most exciting talents was assured.

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Archer was happy to wait seven years, until he was 27, to qualify for England on residency grounds. But, in November 2018, the qualification period was reduced to three years, in line with other countries, opening up the possibility of a debut in early 2019. Archer could not hide his excitement, even if some in the Caribbean questioned his motivation. In England, others – including squad members – wondered whether he would disrupt a settled team. “There was some uproar,” he says. “And that did upset me.” He was not upset for long, and spent the summer living up to the hype. “It’s all been amazing.”

The 2020 Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack is out now