England cricketer Jofra Archer copies Man Utd star Marcus Rashford celebration


Jofra Archer paid tribute to Man Utd star Marcus Rashford (Pictures: Getty)

England bowler Jofra Archer copied Manchester United and England star Marcus Rashford’s celebration as he continued to impress upon his return from injury.

Archer, who was out for 17 months with elbow and back injuries, is currently playing in South Africa’s new Twenty20 league, the SA20.

The 27-year-old took three wickets in his first competitive match in almost two years for SA20 franchise MI Cape Town earlier in the month.

Since then, Archer – who helped England win the World Cup in 2019 – has taken five more wickets in four games.

The Sussex fast bowler took 3-37 in MI Cape Town’s defeat to Pretoria Capitals on Monday and paid tribute to Rashford after claiming his first scalp.

Archer supports Manchester United and has previously posted pictures of himself at matches at Old Trafford.

The World Cup winner will certainly be pleased with Rashford’s form, with the England forward scoring 20 goals in 33 games this season, including nine in his last nine games.

Archer’s performances in the SA20 have reignited hopes that the pace bowler could re-establish himself as an England regular, both in Test and one-day cricket.

But England white-ball captain Jos Buttler has warned fans not to expect ‘too much, too soon’ from Archer.

‘It is exciting to bring someone like Jofra back into the squad,’ Buttler told Sky Sports. ‘I played against him in the SA20 and he was getting it down at a fair pace.

‘It must have been incredibly tough for him to come back after such a long period of time. When we see him, his performance level is so high but coming back from long-term injuries, don’t expect too much from him too soon.

‘It is fantastic to see him back on the pitch, doing what he loves doing, and in such a huge year for English cricket, with an Ashes series in the summer and then a [50-over] World Cup later in the year, fingers crossed Jofra will available for all those things.’

As well as helping England lift the World Cup at Lord’s in 2019, Archer took 42 wickets in 13 Tests before being sidelined through injury.

Before the start of the SA20, Kevin Pietersen said Archer’s return was the ‘biggest story’ in the competition.

‘For me, the biggest story is the return of Jofra Archer after nearly two years out with injury,’ the England legend told Betway.

Archer helped England win the World Cup in 2019 (Picture: Getty)

‘I don’t think I was alone in wondering whether he had a future at the top of the game after so many injury blows, but I desperately hope that this is the start of the second phase of his career.

‘He’s a star of the game, he proved that with his incredible first year in international cricket in 2019.

‘He’s also one of the nicest guys you’ll meet – except when he has the ball in hand, because you don’t want to be on the receiving end of one of his rockets.

‘Hopefully he lights up this tournament. It will be huge for England if he does, with the Ashes and the World Cup coming up this year.’


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