Wright Backing Jofra To Become Superstar

Charlie Talbot-Smith finds that as top prospect Archer stars in T20 his county colleague Wright is cutting back on international travel

- Charlie Talbot-Smith

Our little secret is now out of the bag! – Luke Wright is putting it mildly to say the least.Anyone who watched even a second of Sussex in the County Championship last summer already knew about their ‘little secret’ Jofra Archer, 22. And to describe the Barbados-born all-rounder as now ‘out of the bag’ is also an understatement.

What he has been doing this winter, first in the BPL, now in the Big Bash and soon in the IPL is much more – Archer has torn the bag to smithereens. That is why the Rajasthan Royals have just parted with £800,000 for his talents and why Sussex team-mate Wright – himself a veteran of seven Big Bashes – is predicting even more to come.

“I haven’t been surprised at all,” said Wright, 32, who was with the Melbourne Stars again in this year’s BBL 7. “A lot of Australian players laughed when they found out that Hobart had signed someone they’d never heard of. They’re not laughing now.

“We’ve seen at Sussex for a while he was always going to be a superstar. It was a matter of when everyone else found out. He is destined to be one of the top, top players. Not just in T20 cricket but, if he got to play Test cricket as well, he would be the same.

“It’s a shame for England’s case that he is going to be such a long time away. I think he could go in straight away – tomorrow – and do really well. He is a fast learner, who loves the pressure moments. And he can bat and field as well – one hell of a cricketer to have in your team.”