Jofra Archer

One of the most exciting fast bowlers of the modern era, Jofra Archer in full flow is a sight to watch - smooth rhythmical run-up, braced front-knee on delivery, and the ability to bowl very fast and trouble the best batters in the world. The potential was never in doubt, even before he set foot on the international stage. So much so that England were willing to fast-track him into their squad for the 2019 World Cup ahead of other candidates who had been with the group for a while. The rest, as they say, is history.

Born and raised in Barbados, Archer made the move to England after not getting enough opportunities back home. Having shown a lot of promise in school cricket, he got the chance to represent the West Indies U19 team but was left out of the U19 World Cup. He also couldn't make it to the Barbados squad in domestic cricket. So thanks to his British passport (courtesy of his British father), and some help from Chris Jordan - another Barbados native playing for England - Archer found a place at Sussex in England's domestic circuit, where he didn't take long to make an impression. In his first full season in 2017, Archer picked up 61 wickets in the County Championship at an average of 25.29. Later that year, he represented Hobart Hurricanes in the BBL and wowed global audiences with his ability, including the IPL franchises. He was picked up by Rajasthan Royals for INR 7.2 crore in the IPL 2018 auctions and performed well in his debut season with 15 wickets in 10 matches.

A few months before the 2019 World Cup, ECB changed its qualification criteria from seven years to three years of residency, opening the door for Archer to be catapulted into the World Cup squad. He made his ODI debut in May 2019 against Ireland, before leapfrogging other contenders to be included in the squad for the mega-event. He finished the tournament as England's leading wicket-taker and played a big role in helping them lift the trophy for the very first time.

There was more success to follow in the same year as he made a memorable Test debut at Lord's during the Ashes. His battle against Steve Smith became stuff of legend as he bowled a spell of terrifying pace and eventually hit him on the helmet with a nasty bouncer, leaving him concussed. He picked up 22 wickets during the series at an average of 20.27, although it wasn't enough to stop Australia from retaining the Ashes as the series finished 2-2.

Unfortunately, things went south from there for the pacer as injuries started to take a toll on his body. He missed a significant chunk of cricket in 2020, including the IPL, because of a stress fracture in the right elbow, and then underwent two surgeries in 2021 to sort out the same while missing the Ashes and the T20 World Cup in UAE. Targetting a return in 2022, his plans were foiled by a stress fracture of the lower back and he ended up missing the T20 World Cup again. He then made a comeback in 2023 by playing the ODI series against South Africa, but suffered a recurrence of the elbow injury, cutting short his participation in the IPL and ruling him out of the Ashes as well as the ODI World Cup.

Archer returned to action in 2024 and played in the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean and USA. His workload was carefully managed as he was eased back into action in the limited-overs formats, playing a role in the ODIs against Australia, and then being a part of the tour of West Indies in late 2024, and India in early 2025. In between, he was signed by Rajasthan Royals in the IPL 2025 auction for INR 12.5 crore.