The mystery regarding Jofra Archer‘s visit to Belgium for elbow surgery has ended with Mark Boucher, the head coach of the Mumbai Indians (MI), confirming that the England pace bowler did go to Belgium and underwent a minor elbow surgery.
Notably, Archer has recently tweeted and lambasted a media publication which first broke the development regarding Archer’s visit to Belgium. The Bridgetown-born had accused the English daily for publishing baseless news. He had tweeted: “Putting out an article without knowing the facts & without my consent is crazy. Whoever the reporter is, shame on you, an already worrying and troubling time for a player and you exploit it for your personal gain, it’s people like you that are the problem.”
However, Boucher, while speaking at a press conference ahead of MI’s match against the Rajasthan Royals (RR) on Sunday, said that it was only a minor surgery and heaped praise on Archer’s bowling skills.
“Yes, he was. I believe it was a minor surgery. We all know what Jofra can do. He’s been a fantastic bowler for many years now. So, he adds a different dimension to our attack. Obviously, some good pace. He can bowl with the new ball and he’s very good at the death as well. It is one area where we’ve struggled a bit. So, he can hopefully come in and fulfil that role, bowling in those situations,” said Boucher.
So far, the fast-bowling sensation from England has participated in only two matches of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 season and has been able to claim just one wicket. When it comes to Mumbai Indians, the five-time champions of the tournament, they are currently placed in ninth place after winning only three out of their seven matches.