BARBADIAN PACER Jofra Archer is bowling better and faster in his first full cricket season with Sussex in the Specsavers Division 2 English County Championship.
Archer, a 21-year-old former Foundation schoolboy, bagged a seven-wicket match haul as Sussex yesterday thrashed Leicestershire by an innings and 59 runs inside two days.
On a green pitch at Grace Road, Leicestershire were dismissed for paltry totals of 135 and 119 in their two innings. Sussex, in their only innings, made 313 with fast bowler Ollie Robinson getting the top score of 81 batting at No.9.
Coming on as the first-change bowler, Archer captured four for 31 in 15 overs, clean-bowling three of his victims, while new ball bowler Magoffin took five for 50 from 18 overs.
In the second innings, Archer was entrusted with the new ball and grabbed three for 31 off 14 overs.
South African David Wiese, who represented the Tridents Pride of Barbados in this year’s Caribbean Premier League, also took three wickets for 20 runs while there were two wickets each for Magoffin (2-32) and Robinson (2-28).
Sussex gained 22 points from the match – enough to lift them above Worcestershire and up to third in the table.
Captain Ben Brown praised Archer for his bowling effort in both innings.
“Jofra Archer is a great talent. He’ll have good and bad spells but he bowled some frightening deliveries, cleaning guys up with balls going like off-spinners at 85mph,” Brown said.
Archer has now taken 23 wickets at an average of 24.34 in five first-class matches. (EZS)
