XtraTime Web Desk: All-rounder Jofra Archer made his highly-anticipated entry into England’s World Cup squad, as the national selectors named the final 15-man contingent for the marquee tournament on Tuesday, 21 May.
Archer had been excluded from the preliminary 15-man squad that had been named last month to meet the ICC’s first deadline requirement. However, he was included for both the Ireland series as well as the one against Pakistan, and his eventual selection was more or less a certainty once he had made his England debut.
Archer’s inclusion came alongside those of fellow all-rounder Liam Dawson and top-order batsman James Vince. The trio replaced David Willey, Joe Denly and Alex Hales.
Despite having played just four internationals since becoming eligible to play for England in March, Archer is highly regarded for his temperament and talent, so much that England picked his raw talent over the more experienced Willey. The left-arm seamer has been a consistent performer for England in the past. But after what was at best a mixed series against Pakistan, his performances simply weren’t enough to make him stand out from the intense current competition.
Squad: Eoin Morgan (c), Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler (wk), Tom Curran, Liam Dawson, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, James Vince, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood