Jofra Archer will be a "huge player" for England at the Ashes, reckons coach Brendon McCullum
Archer picked 4/18 in England's 342-run thrashing of South Africa in the 3rd ODI
Archer returned to the England Test side this summer after several injuries
England head coach Brendon McCullum believes Jofra Archer will be a "huge player" when they tour Australia this winter.
Archer finished with figures of 4-18 from nine overs as England recorded a 342-run victory over South Africa, the biggest win in ODI history, to close out their three-match series.
The fast bowler, who also returned to the Test side this summer after several injuries, removed the opening pair of Aiden Markram and Ryan Rickelton before also sending in-form Matthew Breetzke back to the changing rooms after just 10 balls.
Archer managed to feature in all three ODIs against the Proteas in a five-day period, reducing worries about his fitness ahead of a busy winter schedule.
McCullum said they will keep a close eye on Archer heading into the Ashes, but he is likely to play a big role in the upcoming tour.
"That was an unbelievable spell," McCullum said. "It was box-office bowling.
"[It's] not just his pace, but his skill, his ability to shift it both ways and to test batters with the steep bounce he gets.
"He's a proper cricketer, hence why we've taken our time with him to make sure that we give him every chance to be in the biggest series of all of our lives.
"It's always a delicate balance. Sometimes you need to keep bowling and you need to keep ticking over.
"I think a lot of injuries happen when you almost down the tools completely, not that I really understand how that works. But we've just got to make sure we work to the plan.
"We've had a good plan with Jof over the last little while and he's rewarded us for the type of planning that we've had with performances like tonight.
"He's going to be a huge player when we get to Australia, as a number of others are. But I don't think we'll wrap him up [in cotton wool] per se. We'll just keep working with him on how he's going and work out what's best for him."
