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What makes Jofra Archer more lethal and fast?

Jofra Archer started from Barbados to West Indies U19 to Sussex to England cricket team. With some domestic T20 experience in Australia and India, this Barbadian bloke has a massive script written on his name.

Talent hits a target no one else can hit.

Likewise, the unquenchable talent of the Barbadian took him to places, which, in a juncture, has placed him in an opportune spot to bowl the super over for England to win them the World cup 2019.

Moving away from the West Indies would have been the toughest decision for the young bowler. Consequently, his every step in cricket would have come under the scanner. So he always has this point to prove his talent.

On the road to procure fame, Archer is currently pushing his limits to the core. It is fair enough to say that Jofra Archer has erased and rewritten the theory of fast bowling.

He reminds us of the West Indian pace attack during the 80s, making the batsmen’s hearts leap against their ribs while facing them in the midst.

Fast bowling seems so easy when Jofra Archer bowls.

Let’s get into the article to know :

  • What is Jofra Archer’s technique?
  • What makes him lethal?

Simple action

Jofra Archer Bowling action

While the bowlers who bowl at 150+ kmph require an explosive run-up, the England bowler can pull off the generous speed with a straightforward action.

As getting to the crease quicker is the key for fast bowling, it’s quite astonishing to see the Barbadian bowler making a jog to produce the steaming 90+ mph in the middle.

His slow and short run-up fetches only some momentum for the deadly launch of the cricket ball.

A unique factor in his action is the hip rotation that acts as a generator of speed, and also it brings his body straight while bowling.

Other than that, it is a smooth action that requires no drills to practice. Maybe it looks more natural from our point of view. But I bet you; his innards would be screaming with his tiring efforts to execute the lightning speed.

Natural speedster

Speed is the primary weapon of Jofra Archer.

Jofra Archer is a natural athlete whose brawniness reflects in the pace he produces.

He manufactures the speed with the combined work of his core muscles. Strong legs, steady hips, and enormous shoulder power come together to emanate the speed that is more than enough.

Furthermore, his habit of hitting the deck hard makes the calamity by hitting the bat of the batsman even quicker and harder.

“Jofra is one of those bowlers who doesn’t seem to need to put the effort in.’It’s like he’s holding something back but can still bowl 90 miles per hour. So it makes me wonder how fast he can get.’He makes it look so easy. He’s a rhythm bowler so when he gets it right I believe he could bowl at 100 miles per hour one day.” Gary sobers.

Longevity 

What makes Archer even more special is his bowling fitness.

From a Test cricket batsman’s point of view, Archer must be daunting because of his speed and accuracy. He can easily shatter the batsmen’s concentration with his bouncers, slowers, and inswingers relentlessly without getting tired.

If he gets the perfect rhythm on a day, the gaps amidst the spells will make him the most dangerous bowler to face in Test cricket.

So his longevity in bowling is a great asset for the English Test cricket.

“At Lord’s he bowled some quite lengthy spells, but he maintained his pace throughout his overs. That is a brilliant sign that he can bowl long spells at top pace then come back and bowl second and third spells no problem at all,” McGrath pointed out.

Archer must be thankful for the tiny run-up that doesn’t make him tired. The worrying factor must be his shoulder that has to produce the deadly speed again and again.

The 12 O’clock release

Jofra Archer release

Interestingly the release from Archer aids him in bringing up the seam presentation.

Archer releases the ball from the top-most spot he could reach in his bowling action.

And the unrighteousness of the seam gets created from his 12 O’clock release.

This way of release helps the England bowler to make active seam movement towards the batsmen. Not only the inswingers, but Archer is can use his wrist work to swing both ways, which allows him to bowl the inswingers to both left and right-handed batsmen.

But he prefers the dreadful inswingers to the batters because it urges the batsmen to negotiate every ball other than leaving it alone in Test cricket, which is a good wicket grabbing factor.

Height factor 

Tall bowlers and fast bowling have always been a great love story in cricket. The 6-feet tall Jofra Archer has added more beauty to this chemistry.

The main advantage for the tall bowlers is they get the extra bounce from the deck.

With his height, Archer can produce the eerie bouncers that soar from the ground with extra pace and bounce, leaving no time for the batsmen to react.

The main intention has become to hit the batsman’s helmet, which has etched many dismissals to his name. Unpredictability, in his length and line, adds more value to his bouncers. Eventually, this unnerving factor of Jofra is the one that is costing more wickets of the opponents.

“He doesn’t have any tells. Some bowlers you get a tell when they’re going to bowl a bouncer or a different ball, but because everything is so rhythmical with Jofra it is tough to see when that bouncer is coming. He’s very tight to the stumps as well. Everything looks just so languid, you wonder if he’s loose and then he fires one.watching the ball fly through, it was very impressive to watch.”

Even his toe crushers get the utmost accuracy with the help of the higher projection for the delivery.

On the whole, Archer’s height is adding more bewilderment to the batsmen.

The T20 specialist

The Barbados born fast bowler pulled off the limelight when he showcased his superpowers in the T20s. Plenty of variations lurks in Archer’s kit to fulfill the T20’s demands.

Apart from his brutal bouncers and daunting toe crushers, Jofra is possessing a precious variation. The steaming just short deliveries, which neither allows the batsman to play it with front foot nor go to back foot.

As mentioned earlier, speed is the most dangerous weapon in T20s when bowled in tough lines.

A lot of Test cricket’s way of dismissals can be found in his ODI scalps, especially the way of getting the feather of the batsman’s glove.

Since ODI has become more aggressive, Jofra Archer finds no trouble in adapting to it.

Adaptivity to Test cricket

“Literally sky is the limit for him and he’s a great addition to our Test team.” – Ben Stokes

Archer is a smart cricketer. His shrewdness was seen when he molds his bowling skills for Test cricket.

The modern-day fast bowler improved his seam bowling to face the Test cricket challenge.

The cricket he played for Sussex team has a significant role in this transformation. The exposure from County cricket helped him to understand the behavior of the Dukes ball.

So far he bowled, it was his line that he prefers to bowl is aggressive. He keeps it close to the stumps, always in need of a wicket.

“He sort of ambles in and gets very close to the (stumps), makes the most of his height, and he’s got a simple action.”- Steve waugh.

Conclusion

More than anything, Archer is liked for the passion he has for the game. It is visible when the fast bowler gets on to his bowling shoes.

His hard-hitting nature in batting adds more weightage to his value as a player. He is someone we like to watch batting at the end of an innings with our eyes peeled.

I wonder how dangerous Jofra can be with the red Kookaburra cherry in the bouncy Australian pitches and pink ball anywhere in the cricket world under the lights.

Eventually, Jofra Archer has become England’s proudest boast.

Meanwhile, West Indies must make sure that they don’t lose any other rare Jofras from their nation.



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