Eight sporting stars who will shine even brighter this year

JOFRA ARCHER. It is an Ashes summer and England’s Bazballers are resurgent but how they would love to add a fit Archer to take on the Aussies.

- Neil Squires

1 England’s speed king has been injured for so long it is easy to forget the damage he is capable of inflicting, but there is no substitute for pace and the Aussies will not have forgotten the terrifying going-over he gave Steve Smith at Lord’s four years ago.

The baby steps Archer took bowling for the second-string Lions in the UAE against the Test side ahead of their tour to Pakistan were promising.

And the next stride is his return to the international arena for the first time in almost two years for the one-day squad in South Africa later this month.

Fingers crossed. If there’s one man Australia will not want to see in an England sweater this summer it is Archer.

2 NOVAK DJOKOVIC. Sprung to play at this month’s Australian Open after his deportation 12 months ago, a place in history awaits tennis’ Marmite man.

The Serb’s presence Down Under will irk many Aussies after the Covid antics which overshadowed last year’s event and his reception will be an interesting one.

But the visa ban on him has been lifted by the new Australian administration and the attention should all be on Djokovic’s tennis this time around.

The Wimbledon champion holds a record nine Australian Open titles. If he can land a 10th at Melbourne Park, he will pull alongside the most successful men’s player of all time, Rafa Nadal, on 22 Grand Slams.