England hope that Jofra Archer will play a role in their World Cup defence in India and will consider picking him in their 15-man squad even if he is not fully fit for the start of the tournament.
Archer is recovering from a recurrence of a stress fracture in his right elbow, which ruled him out of the Ashes series, and is the latest in a series of injuries over the past four years.
However, there is optimism that the 28-year-old could be fit to play a role in the World Cup, potentially allowing England to unleash him in tandem with Mark Wood during the latter stages of the competition.
Archer played a key role in England’s World Cup win in 2019 including bowling the Super Over against New Zealand at Lord’s to secure their first global 50-over trophy. He took 20 wickets at just 23.05 apiece across the tournament and was named in the official team of the competition.
While his international career since has been marred by injuries, Archer has still made a fine impact in the white-ball game when fit, taking 12 wickets in four one-day internationals earlier this year in South Africa and Bangladesh.
The World Cup begins on October 5, with England playing the tournament opener against New Zealand in Ahmedabad. The competition runs for almost seven weeks, with the final on November 19.
All squads for the World Cup must be submitted to the International Cricket Council by September 5 – before England’s next ODI. But all nations are free to make changes to their squad until September 27. England have four ODIs against New Zealand and three against Ireland in September, before the final deadline to make changes.
England’s tough tournament schedule at the back of the group stage – including India, Australia and Pakistan in their last four group matches before a potential semi-final – would make selecting Archer and easing him into the competition more attractive.
While each country are only permitted to pick 15 players in their full squads, they are also allowed to take three travelling reserves. England’s abundance of all-rounders in the form of Chris Woakes, Sam Curran, Moeen Ali and Liam Livingstone, who are all virtually certain to make the World Cup, gives them an element of flexibility, potentially making it easier to accommodate one player whose fitness had to be carefully managed during the initial stages of the competition.
Archer offers more than just World Cup pedigree
By Tim Wigmore
Jofra Archer’s brilliance will always be associated with England’s first-ever ODI World Cup victory. After observing his performances in domestic cricket, especially the 2018 Indian Premier League, England recognised that Archer’s skills could transform their bowling attack. In November 2018, England changed their selection criteria: no longer did players have to spend seven years living in the UK before they qualified for England, enabling Archer to qualify before the 2019 World Cup.
He played just three ODIs before the tournament, and yet was immediately thrust into the role of senior bowler: opening the bowling, being brought back to take wickets in the middle overs, and then being used at the death. After taking 20 wickets in the competition, he was summoned to bowl the Super Over in the final. “I thought it was likely to be me,” he recalled: a reflection of how swiftly Archer became England’s attack leader.
After his magnificent 2019, both in the World Cup and Ashes, Archer’s career since has been marred by myriad injuries. Yet England’s hope that he will be available for the 2019 World Cup is not only based on his deeds four years ago. During England’s ODIs since, Archer has taken 19 wickets at just 18.10 apiece. In four ODIs this year, in South Africa and Bangladesh, Archer took 12 – showing not just the pace and awkward bouncer to harass batsmen with the new ball, but also his knuckleball and yorkers with the old ball. Knowledge of how to thrive in Indian conditions, built up over 48 matches, further adds to Archer’s appeal.
Archer’s partnership with Mark Wood underpinned England’s victory in the 2019 World Cup – ensuring that England had wicket-taking threat to go with their batting prowess. If the pair are reunited for the crunch stages of this year’s World Cup, it will add to optimism that England can retain their crown.
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