Jofra Archer: England do not pick pace bowler in provisional World Cup squad
Last updated on .From the section Cricket
England have not picked uncapped pace bowler Jofra Archer in a preliminary 15-man World Cup squad but have named him in one-day squads for games against Pakistan and Ireland.
Barbados-born Archer, 24, qualified to play for England in March after a change in residency rules.
He could still make the World Cup if he impresses in the pre-tournament matches as changes can be made up to 23 May.
England play Ireland on 3 May before a five-match series against Pakistan.
"The selection panel has been impressed with Jofra Archer's performances in domestic and franchise cricket," said national selector Ed Smith.
"He is a very talented and exciting cricketer."
England's Chris Woakes said on Tuesday it would "not be fair morally" to pick Archer for the World Cup, hosted by England and Wales, which begins on 30 May.
Sussex's Archer has an English father and a British passport. He became eligible to play for England on 17 March thanks to the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) bringing in new residency rules on 1 January.
He has played only 14 one-day matches in his career but has impressed in Twenty20 cricket.
Archer, rated one of the most valuable limited-overs players in the world because of his 90mph bowling, athletic fielding and aggressive batting, is currently playing for Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League (IPL), alongside England internationals Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes.
Smith told him about his selection prior to the Royals' game against Kings XI Punjab on Tuesday, where Archer took 3-15 from his four overs.
The ECB said players "selected in the squads, who are currently playing in the IPL, will return to England on or before 26 April".
The preliminary World Cup squad is unchanged from the drawn winter one-day series against the West Indies, with Eoin Morgan captaining a side who are number one in the ODI rankings.
Jordan returns to ODI squad
Archer's Sussex team-mate Chris Jordan has also been given a chance to break into the World Cup set-up by being named in the squads to play Ireland and Pakistan.
Pace bowler Jordan, who played in England's 3-0 Twenty20 series win in the West Indies, returns to the ODI squad for the first time since September 2016.
"Chris Jordan, a regular in T20 squads over the past few years, has continued to develop as a cricketer - as we saw in the T20s in the West Indies," said Smith.
"He fully deserves his return to the ODI squad."
Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes and Chris Woakes will be rested for the ODI against Ireland in Dublin and the T20 international against Pakistan on 5 May.
They will return to the squad for the five-match ODI series against Pakistan between 8 and 19 May before England open their World Cup campaign against South Africa at The Oval on 30 May.
"All 17 players named in the Royal London ODIs against Pakistan can stake a claim to be in the final 15-man squad, finalised at the end of that series," added Smith.
"With regard to resting players, we are conscious of managing player workloads leading into such an important summer so that players are in the best possible condition for the World Cup.
"That was also a factor in the way we have selected these three squads."
After the World Cup squad is finalised, England play warm-up matches against Australia on 25 May and Afghanistan on 27 May. These are not official ODIs.
Analysis - 'a knife-edge choice'
BBC cricket correspondent Jonathan Agnew
Jofra Archer has been given a chance to prove himself for the World Cup.
It's a real conundrum for the selectors; how do they give all involved in this knife-edge choice - David Willey, Woakes, Liam Plunkett, Tom Curran and possibly Joe Denly - a fair and equal chance to compete with the talented Archer.
Archer, for all his T20 experience, has played only 14 one-day matches in his career.
Keeping a squad of 17 happy over five make-or-break games with so much at stake will not be easy.
Chris Jordan's performances in the West Indies have given him another opportunity, while England's party to play Ireland is essentially its T20 squad.
England preliminary 15-man World Cup squad:
Eoin Morgan (captain), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler, Tom Curran, Joe Denly, Alex Hales, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood
England 17-man squad to play in Pakistan ODIs:
Eoin Morgan (captain), Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler, Tom Curran, Joe Denly, Chris Jordan, Alex Hales, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood
England 14-man squad to play in Ireland ODI and Pakistan IT20:
Eoin Morgan (captain), Jofra Archer, Sam Billings, Tom Curran, Joe Denly, Chris Jordan, Alex Hales, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, James Vince, David Willey, Mark Wood
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“It probably wouldn't be fair, morally, but at the same time it's the nature of international sport."
Actually if you read what Woakes actually said, it is balanced and reasonable.
However, as usual, some hack from the BBC has taken part of the quote out of context to act as click bate.
There was a time when the BBC were the gold standard for reporting, now they make the Sun and the Mirror seem accurate, particularly for sports news.
Just imagine the chaos if we dropped an established bowler and then Archer gets hammered all around the park by Pakistan, a drama you don't want just a few weeks before a home WC.
If he performs in the warm ups and then isn't picked, we all have the right to be livid though.
15 best players eligible > 15 best friends.
And it seems sport isn't immune to worsening of BBC standards. By using a dramatic headline that just isn't supported by the whole story (you even misquoted Woakes here again!), and running a blatant political agenda, you are becoming the left wing version of the dire Daily Mail!
Every chance to impress without risking harmony for an unproven 50 over bowler
I Dont see why Archer just doesn't go and play for the West Indies team simple
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If you had a UK passport & parent, had witnessed the chaos of WI cricket administration with players striking due to pay, had the talent to be a highly paid England test player? What choice would you make?
Compared to the likes of KP, Archer has every right to play for England.
What does his colour have to do with his nationality? Is black British different to British? I wasn't aware there is a different type for folks with different skin tones.
We have an opportunity to win our first one day World Cup. Therefore, we need to put out the best players we have available.
Individuals are not entitled to represent our country just because they have played before. If they moan or actively undermine team morale they should dropped.
And I certainly didn't understand why Woakes used the phrase 'morally wrong' in interview. I am sure he regrets that. Sports teams should be selected on merit, not on who is someone's mate. 'Mates picks' are what the England selectors need to move away from.