"You just get a feeling that cricket is poorer without them" - Aakash Chopra on the absence of Jofra Archer and Jasprit Bumrah 

Former Indian batter Aakash Chopra has heaped praise on Jofra Archer for his emphatic return to competitive cricket. The English all-rounder announced his arrival with a probing spell for MI Cape Town in their inaugural SA20 clash against the Paarl Royals on Tuesday, January 10.

Archer was in full flow after marking his first over as a wicket-maiden, claiming Wihaan Lubbe's scalp.

He followed it up with two more wickets in his second spell to end with figures of 3-27 as the Rashid Khan-led side coasted to a comfortable eight-wicket win at Newlands.

Noting the impact that players like Jofra Archer and Jasprit Bumrah bring to the sport with their rare abilities, Chopra said on his YouTube channel:

"Archer's pace was there, he was bowling with variations as well."

Chopra continued:

"Interestingly, while the franchises are concerned with Archer and Bumrah's fitness, you just get a feeling that cricket is poorer without them. When they are not there, it is like there is something missing."

The England all-rounder's last international exploit came during the tour of India in 2021. He has since been sidelined with injuries, for which he even underwent surgery. He slowly got into a rhythm with a brief stint with Sussex and was also part of the England Lions unit that faced the national side in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) prior to their tour of Pakistan.

His Mumbai Indians (MI) teammate Jasprit Bumrah is also currently battling injury issues. The right-arm pacer has not played for India since September 2022, even missing the crucial T20 World Cup 2022 during that timeframe.

Bumrah was included in the ODI squad for the series against Sri Lanka but had to withdraw after facing some stiffness during his rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru.

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"Jofra Archer is back; he is truly and fully back" - Aakash Chopra

Archer's return to competitive cricket was confirmed when he was roped in by MI Cape Town as a wildcard pick ahead of SA20.

He has also been named in the ODI squad for the upcoming away series against South Africa.

Praising the manner with which the speedster bowled on his return, showing no signs of rustiness or lack of rhythm, Chopra said:

"Jofra Archer is back. He was back and also on a hat trick. There was a long wait over his return and how will he perform."

Chopra continued:

"He began with a wicket-maiden, then was on a hattrick as well, where he took the wicket of David Miller as well, so he is truly back. He is only going to play two matches in this season since his workload is being managed."

The ODI series between England and South Africa is scheduled to begin on January 27. The white-ball champions have a busy couple of months coming up leading up to the Ashes with the 2023 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) also marking its presence with a two-and-a-half-month window.

Mumbai Indians owner Akash Ambani expressed his confidence about the prospect of fielding both Bumrah and Archer in the playing XI at the 2023 IPL despite their recent injury and workload concerns.

Will Jofra Archer maintain his consistency after a long injury layoff? Let us know what you think.

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