West Indies’ all-rounder Carlos Brathwaite has heaped praise on Jofra Archer, saying every successful team needs a special talent and England has got that 'X-factor' in the Barbadian-born pacer.
The 25-year-old has on Friday (July 24) returned to England XI for the third and final Test against the Windies for breaching the COVID-19 bio-security protocols.
Brathwaite told the BBC: “There's the traditional English way of doing it by the book, but all good teams need the X-factor. I think he brings that X-factor... Kevin Pietersen brought that X-factor.”
He further added, “While you're hoping that the majority of the team are 75% consistent and they do everything by the book -- they are always early, they eat right, they do this and they do that -- you do need that rogue. I'm not saying that he is that, but every team needs that rogue, that X-factor, that doesn't play by the rules of the book... 'do it my way' type of character.”
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Reacting to Archer’s protocol breach, Brathwaite said if England can find a way to transform Jofra into the leader like Ben Stokes, referring to the all-rounder’s Bristol incident, then English cricket would have “two serious X-factors" in the team, saying the young pacer has potential to become next Stokes.
He signed off by saying, “If you think about it, Stokes not so long ago, was seen as that type of character. Now he's seen as a leader. If England can find a way to transform Jofra into the leader that Stokes has become, while keeping his X-factor on-field performance, then they are two serious cricketers to be contending with for the next five to 10 years.”
(With Reuters Inputs)
