Archer played his first match for Mumbai at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on April 2 before missing the next four matches due to soreness in his right elbow. In the first match he leaked 33 runs in four overs without a wicket.
Ahead of the side’s home match against Mumbai Indians (MI) on Saturday, Archer has said that his focus was on “feeling good” which would ultimately help him bowl. The England star also expressed his desire to bowl match-winning spells for his team.
“Obviously the last two weeks aren’t exactly what you would hope for after being so fully active. But it’s what you expect when you’ve been off for a long time, the body’s not going to be 100 percent straight away,” Archer told ESPNcricinfo.
“There are going to be moments where it feels a lot more serious than it actually is. I don’t know which game will be the next game, but I’m just trying to put myself in the best position possible [to play].
“To be honest, I still want to bowl fast and stuff – but when you feel good, you bowl good. I just want to focus on feeling good at the minute.”
“Everyone has welcomed me with open arms. It’s a great franchise and hopefully, I get the opportunity to win a few games for them. We’ve won more games than we’ve lost which is miles better than what we did last year, so everything is going well and the mood in the camp is good.
“I probably didn’t have the debut that I wanted,” he said, “but I do have the opportunity to debut at home. Hopefully, I can make it a proper one this time.
“When we played Chennai at home, I couldn’t believe the atmosphere – both teams have an unbelievable following. It is always great seeing the sea of blue [in the stands],” added Archer who bowled four overs in the nets on Thursday.
After losing their first two games, Mumbai have now won three matches on the bounce and are occupying the sixth spot in 10-team points table.
