As England prepared for a Test match against New Zealand starting in less than a fortnight, Jofra Archer was spearheading Rajasthan Royals’ (RR) entry into the IPL playoffs with a stunning all-round performance in a 30-run win over Mumbai Indians (MI) at the Wankhede Stadium.
Kumar Sangakkara, the RR head coach, addressed the subject in the post-match press conference. “I think it’s a collaborative decision via a discussion between Jofra and the ECB about his bowling load,” he said. “The ECB has been gracious enough to allow him to manage his bowling load and join the England team after the IPL.”
During the post-match presentation, Archer, the Player of the Match, reflected on his season and the team’s strategy. “I don’t think this is my best season,” Archer said. “Every time I take the ball, I have to hit good areas. Not always rewarded, but happy it came on an important day. If you get hit for a boundary off a good ball, it’s okay.
“Coach’s instructions: they said no more pace-off after the first couple of games. There’s more margin for error with pace on. You have to deal with edges from time to time, but it’s safer more often.”
While defending 206, Archer struck early to dent MI’s chase. He first dismissed Rohit Sharma for a duck and then removed Naman Dhir (6) to leave MI struggling at 18/2. Archer returned in the 16th over to dismiss MI’s skipper Hardik Pandya, who scored a quick 34 off 15 balls. The English pacer conceded just 17 runs in four overs at an economy rate of 4.25.
“We all know he can bowl fast,” said Sangakkara. “But what I love about Jofra is his leadership part and the amount of investment he has in this franchise.”
With the bat, Archer scored a quick 32 off 15 balls at a strike rate of 213.33. Speaking about his batting promotion, he added, “I wasn’t expecting to bat so early due to the Impact Sub. The head coach told me to put my pads on; I was surprised at first. I class myself as an all-rounder, but folks call me a bowler. Body good, touch wood.”
The 31-year-old has been RR’s leading wicket-taker this season, claiming 21 wickets from 14 matches at an economy rate of 8.76.
With this win, RR sealed the final playoff spot after registering eight wins from 14 matches. They will now face Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the Eliminator on 27 May.
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