Fast bowler declares injury-free summer to be a “tick” after helping England seal record consolation win
ESPNcricinfo staff07-Sep-2025Jofra Archer declared his performance in third ODI against South Africa at the Utilita Bowl as “one of those times you don’t want to put the ball down”, after routing his opponents with four powerplay wickets en route to England recording the largest margin of victory ever in a 50-over international match.Archer’s superb figures of 4 for 18 in nine overs weren’t enough to salvage the series for England, after their contrasting defeats in the first two matches at Headingley and Lord’s. However, in reducing South Africa to 18 for 5 in the space of his first 4.5 overs, he set up a thumping 342-run win that bettered England’s previous largest victory in the format by exactly 100 runs.With Brydon Carse claiming two wickets in his own opening spell, and with Temba Bavuma absent with a calf strain, South Africa were reeling at 24 for 6 in the ten-over powerplay, before Adil Rashid’s three wickets sealed the victory in 20.5 overs – the same figure that South Africa themselves had needed to complete their series-opening run-chase at Headingley last week.”I told Carse, when we were bowling, let’s just do it so nobody else has to bowl,” Archer said afterwards. “Unfortunately, it didn’t pan out that way, but we definitely did try. They were either going to get them or they were going to get bowled out trying to get them, and everyone’s figures are pretty good today. It’s good to win a game by that margin.”For Archer, the performance continued a hugely uplifting summer in which he has re-established his credentials across formats, including with his recall to the England Test team during the series against India in July.Related
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He admitted, after being named Player of the Match, that he had not expected to feature in his third match in a row, in light of the previous regime’s caution about his workload after numerous injuries. However, he acknowledged it “meant a lot” to be able to put in another strong performance for his team.”To be injury-free is always a plus,” he said. “This summer is a tick for me.”Archer’s first wicket came with the second ball of his spell, as Aiden Markram flashed outside off to nick off for a duck. But thereafter, he was nigh on unplayable, bowling back-to-back wicket maidens as Ryan Rickelton also edged to the keeper, before Matthew Breetzke and Tristan Stubbs were both dismissed by extra bounce.”There are some spells that you bowl like you hardly bowl a bad ball,” he said. “You can bowl good balls that go for boundaries. But when every single ball that you’ve released, you’re happy where it landed, today was one of those days.”Archer did, however, claim he had felt in even better rhythm in the series opener in Leeds, where his superbly economical figures of 5-1-8-0 were overshadowed by the brutal treatment meted out to Sonny Baker (7-0-76-0) on debut at the other end.”I felt I bowled better at Headingley, but obviously I didn’t get the wickets to show,” he said. “But for the first four or five overs, well, actually the first 10 of the powerplay today, it was overcast. The ball was hard, the pitch was nipping. I don’t know if a red ball would have done the same thing, but that’s probably one of the times you don’t want to put the ball down. I tried my best not to put it down today either.”Asked how it felt to be a part of such an emphatic victory, Archer admitted he had not known the specifics of the victory, mouthing “wow” when told that 342 runs was a world-record margin.”To be honest, I didn’t really look at the scoreboard much,” he said. “I actually don’t know what they finished on, we were so focused on just trying to get off. But it was exciting. There was an ‘ooh’ or an ‘aah’ every single over.”