Mumbai Indians (MI) could be handed a major boost ahead of the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 as one of their star recruits is back in form. MI, the record IPL champions had a season to forget in 2022 after finishing bottom of the league for the first time in their glorious history in the IPL. However, the return of a form of Jofra Archer will be a major boost for them.
Jofra Archer is back in form
Signed for a hefty fee of Rs 8 crore in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 auctions, the star England bowler scalped six wickets for England in the final ODI on Wednesday (February 1). Archer, who was out of action for the majority of 2022, had been struggling with injury issues and spent time on the treatment table.
https://twitter.com/englandcricket/status/1620894855776935953
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What happened in the England-South Africa contest?
Batting first and boosted by the ton of Jos Buttler, the English side scored 346/7 in their 50 overs. Buttler scored an astonishing 131 off 127 deliveries which consisted of 6 fours and 7 sixes and was hitting the ball all over the ground. He was supported by Dawid Malan, who also brought up his ton to score 118 for the visitors.
In reply, the South African side were left shell-shocked as Archer ran the show and ended with figures of 40/6 and left the hosts in a vulnerable situation. Adil Rashid supported him well and scalped three wickets as well while Chris Woakes ended with a solitary wicket. As the bowlers ran riot, the Proteas were restricted to 287 in 43.1 overs.
England won the match by 59 runs and denied a direct qualification for the Proteas in the ODI World Cup as they ended up winning the series 2-1. South Africa needed to win the series 3-0 in order to secure direct passage into the main draw of the World Cup.
