Before moving to England, Archer grew up in Barbados and made a name for himself as a fast bowler. He’s also a member of the West Indies U19 squad.
Following his impressive performances in various tournaments, the England Cricket Board altered their rules to allow Archer to join England’s squad for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019. The switch paid off handsomely, when he proved to be the hosts’ X-factor.
Records
In the T20 Blast 2018, he scored a hat-trick for Sussex against Middlesex.
Career
Domestic career
He started his professional cricket career as a youngster, playing for the West Indies U19 side. He moved to England after reaching the U19 age limit to compete in the County Championship and make a name for himself.
In 2016, he was selected by the Sussex cricket team and made his First Class debut. He also made his List A debut in the Royal London One-Day Cup a few weeks back. He did well for them, and in the 2017 edition of the Bangladesh Premier League, he was selected by the Khulna Titans.
IPL and other T20 Leagues Career
For the Titans, he had a strong BPL 2017. In nine innings, he took 10 wickets and made 87 runs. His batting average was a staggering 164.15. In the same year, he signed a BBL deal with the Hobart Hurricanes, based on his success in this tournament and domestic cricket.
He debuted for the Hurricanes in the Big Bash League 2017/18 just days after completing his tenure with the Titans. He appeared in all 12 games and was the team’s leading wicket-taker. At a strike rate of less than 3 overs per wicket, he took 16 wickets. In the game, he was the only bowler for the ‘Men In Purple’ to bowl a maiden over.
He then played in the Pakistan Super League, another T20 league. In 2018, he was a member of the Quetta Gladiators. He only got to play in two games, but he also managed to pick up five wickets at a 6.62 economy rate. At that time, he’d piqued the interest of scouts from the IPL, the world’s largest T20 competition.
In 2018, he made his debut for the Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League. They had spent £8,00,000 on the 22-year-old (roughly 72,144,800 INR). He proved to be decent value for money, taking 15 wickets in ten innings at a strike rate of just 15.53.
He maintained his form in the BBL 2018/19, finishing as the Hurricanes’ leading wicket-taker once again. In 15 played, he took 18 wickets.
In the following IPL, he had a small decline in form. In the 2019 edition, he only managed 11 wickets in 11 matches as the Royals finished in fifth place.
International career
The ECB has a clause that a player who came to England after the age of 18 could only represent England in international cricket after spending at least 7 years in the region. As a result, Archer won’t be able to compete until 2022. However, as a result of his above-mentioned results, the ECB was forced to change the rules in order for him to play in the World Cup 2019.
As a result, Archer made his international debut in Dublin in May 2019 against Ireland. He took 1/40 and had a promising start to his ODI career. After chasing 199 runs, England won the match by four wickets.
He also made his T20I debut against Pakistan in Cardiff a few days later. Batting first, the visitors posted 173 runs. In his four overs, Archer took 2/29. With 7 wickets in hand and 7 balls to spare, England chased down the mark.
The ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 kicked off in a few days, and Archer was ready to go. He was the tournament’s third-highest wicket-taker and the highest for England. In just 11 games, he took 20 wickets. He also bowled the crucial super over in the most thrilling World Cup Final ever. England secured their first-ever World Cup trophy at the famed Lord’s Cricket Ground in London, thanks to the ECB’s decision to amend the rules. Following the tournament, the ICC called him the team’s rising star.
Archer made his Test debut in the 2nd Ashes Test at Lord’s just three weeks after the Final. It was a low-scoring match, with England scoring 258 twice and Australia chasing down 267 with four wickets in hand in the second innings. In the first inning, Archer picked up 12 runs. In both innings, he had 2/59 and 3/32. He also played the next three Tests, taking a total of 22 wickets in four Tests, including two five-wicket hauls.
The ECB gave Archer his first core contract since the series concluded.
Family
Jofra’s father, Frank Archer, is from England, and his mother, Joelle Waithe, is from Barbados. Through his father, he was given English citizenship.