SA20: Zaheer Khan hails Jofra Archer for fighting mental battle well, terms Dewald Brevis as a star in making

New Delhi, Jan 13: Legendary India pacer Zaheer Khan lauded MI Cape Town pacer Jofra Archer and young South Africa batter Dewald Brevis following their match-winning effort in their team's opening game in SA20.

Star England pacer, Archer, returned to competitive cricket after a gap of 18 months and the right-handed quick made an immediate impact for MI Cape Town with the ball. Brevis - who was adjudged the player of the match in the game - also showcased his talent in the game.

In his come-back game, Archer picked up three wickets while Brevis scored a quickfire 70 as MI Cape Town registered a convincing eight-wicket win over Paarl Royals in the tournament opener.

Archer once again showed his talent and his return to action comes as good news not just for MI Cape Town, but also for Mumbai Indians - who purchased him in IPL 2022 auction last year.

Zaheer Khan hails Jofra Archer

Speaking on Archer's return to action on Match Centre Live, Viacom18 Sports expert former India cricketer Zaheer Khan said, "It has to be an emotional one for him as well. When you are playing after so long, pretty much your career is under scrutiny, how you are going to come back. You have to put in a whole lot of hard work, you need to be very patient as well. So, it is not just the physical battle which he must be fighting, it is a mental battle as well. It's not easy for anyone to be away from the game for that long. Injury is something that is not in your hands, but how you manage yourself takes a lot of energy."

Zaheer also happens to be the Global Head of Cricket Development at Mumbai Indians and he would be pleased with the confident start MI Cape Town had in the tournament.

Dewald Brevis - a star in making

Praising young MI Cape Town batter Dewald Brevis, who will be returning to action for Mumbai Indians in the IPL 2023, Zaheer claimed the teenage sensation from South Africa is a future star.

Weighing in on Brevis' performance Zaheer said, "Certainly, a star in making. There is no doubt about that."

Pragyan Ojha compares Brevis with SKY

Former India spinner Pragyan Ojha also lauded Brevis' temperament in the opening game against Paarl Royals and termed his performance as exceptional. "He was brilliant as Zak said. The most important takeaway for me is the temperament he showed. He carried the innings and finished the game," the former cricketer said.

Ojha also felt that Brevis is the kind of player who is worth investing in and compared him to the explosive Suryakumar Yadav. "When you look at the Mumbai franchise - the universe, I'm talking about different tournaments they play different leagues then you see Suryakumar Yadav doing that now they have Brevis doing that. So that's a big sign when you invest in these players you want these kinds of players to finish the game. In world cricket, if you see there are very less players who can start the game and finish it and these are the guys there like they'll be like pure gold for any franchise."

MI Cape Town will take on Durban's Super Giants on Friday at 9:00 pm, live on JioCinema, Sports18 - 1, Sports18 Khel and Colors Tamil.