Jofra Archer could be handed a late chance to gatecrash England‘s World Cup even if he misses out on the initial 15-man squad next month, according to head coach Trevor Bayliss.
The Sussex bowler, Barbados born but with an English father and a British passport, is on the verge of completing his qualification period and has been widely touted as a late contender for this summer’s tournament.
His name has never been far away during the ongoing West Indies tour and came up again after the hosts secured a 2-2 draw in the one-day series with a dominant seven-wicket victory in St Lucia.
There is no more 50-over cricket before England’s squad announcement on April 23 but International cricket Council rules allow personnel changes to be made for almost another month after that date.
That means Archer could conceivably be picked for a one-off ODI in Dublin on May 3, or play a part in the five-match series against Pakistan which precedes the World Cup. And a squad place could be the prize.
England coach Trevor Bayliss.
“We’ve got to have the squad in by April 23, but there’s a month after that to change it,” Bayliss told Sky Sports.
“There’s the Pakistan series before then, so we’ll have discussions about whether he plays because the absolute final date is May 22.
“We’d like it to be as close as it can be (to the World Cup squad) but we could try someone like Jofra in those matches and make a decision one way or another.”
Whether England would be ruthless enough to axe one of their established players having already named them in their provisional tournament party remains to be seen.
It promises to be an uncertain period for the likes of David Willey and Tom Curran regardless, with the duo perceived to be most vulnerable if Archer does make a late charge.
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