England star branded "most exciting talent since Kevin Pietersen" by Harmison

26 January 2023 , 13:03

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Steve Harmison was in awe of Kevin Pietersen when he burst onto the scene for England (Image: ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP/Getty Images)

Former England bowler Steve Harmison believes Jofra Archer is the "most exciting talent since Kevin Pietersen", with the fast bowler set to make his international return against South Africa.

Archer has been out of action for almost two years with elbow and back injuries, but is hoping to play a key role for England this year in a home Ashes series and their 50-over World Cup defence.

And Harmison, who played 123 times for England across all formats, is excited to see Archer back fit and firing. The 27-year-old made an immediate impact after debuting in 2019, helping England win the World Cup and draw the Ashes 2-2, with Harmison comparing his impact to Pietersen's in 2005 when he helped England win the Ashes for the first time since 1987.

"It's great to see Jofra back playing, for him more than anything else, I'm not bothered about England at this moment in time, he can play for MI Cape Town and then the Mumbai Indians," Harmison told OnlineCricketBetting.

"I just want to see the boy back playing cricket. He is one of the most exciting talents I've seen in cricket for a long long time. Probably, from an England point of view, he's the most exciting talent since Kevin Pietersen.

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"I was in the group when that big lad from South Africa came over with his daft haircut and you're thinking 'who on earth is this?' and 'what on earth is this?' and then it was probably the most exciting few years that English cricket had, that 2005 period, where KP took the world by surprise.

Jofra Archer is gearing up to make his first England appearance in almost two years (Alex Davidson/Getty Images)

"I think when Jofra comes on the scene, it's probably the most excited I've been since KP." Harmison expects Archer to play a key role in this summer's Ashes, but expects England to rotate him and fellow quick Mark Wood given all five Tests have been crammed into a 46-day window.

"If you want to talk about him playing for England, it's like priming a racehorse before a big race, you've got the Ashes in June, can they get him in peak condition to hit Australia three or four times throughout that series," Harmison added.

"I don't think he can play in all five Tests, I don't think it's possible for him or Mark Wood to play in all five but it's so good to see him back playing. If he can bowl 18 overs out of 20 in two of the three ODIs that are coming up in Bloemfontein and Kimberley then it will be a good step towards a positive recovery for Jofra."

Matthew Cooper