Jofra Archer resurgence can help England restore balance after dismal World Cup
England and Rob Key have shifted their focus from all-rounders to power-hitters for the upcoming T20 World Cup, but still believe Jofra Archer can provide the “special” point of difference.
Archer has been named in the provisional squad for the World Cup in June, despite not having played competitive cricket since May 2023.
The Barbados-born fast bowler is undoubtedly a special talent, he was fast-tracked into the England squad across all formats as soon as he qualified for nationality, but since his breakthrough summer in 2019, Archer has been plagued by injuries.
A back stress fracture and an ongoing recurrence of a right elbow problem have stunted Archer’s international career, but England’s managing director of men’s cricket Key, believes he can play a part in the T20 World Cup in the USA and the Caribbean, which will be his first ICC tournament involvement since 2019.
Jofra Archer is a bowler capable of reaching speeds over 93mph (Getty Images)
“Jofra’s that bowler that’s just so special you do everything you can to try to get him back playing. We’ve taken the longer road this time,” Key said.
He added: “He’s one of those rare cricketers. When you look at the attributes you want for a bowler in international cricket, Jofra has all of them. A lot of bowlers tick one or two of those, but Jofra has absolutely all of them.
“For Test cricket or white-ball cricket, he’s someone who can bowl at any stage. He can start, bowl in the middle and at the end, and he can smack it as well.
“It’s a better game when pace is in it. Fingers crossed we continue to go in the right direction with him.”
Chris Jordan has been partly chosen because of his ability with the bat (Getty Images)
Chris Jordan was included in the 15-man squad for the tournament in the USA and the West Indies, leaving the experienced Chris Woakes on the sidelines.
Jordan, also born in the Caribbean, does not have a central contract and has not played international cricket since September, but has a lot of experience and has the ability to impact games with the bat lower down the order.
“We’ve watched CJ (Jordan) for a while now and his bowling has always been a serious factor for us,” Key said.
“The fact that he can bowl at the death has always been something we look for, but his batting seems to have kicked on a bit this time.
“We really want some strength (and) depth. We had people like Jamie Overton, all these guys were in the mix because we wanted to make sure we had as long a batting line-up as possible.”
Power-hitting has become more important in T20 cricket, especially since the most lucrative franchise league, the Indian Premier League introduced the concept of an ‘impact substitute’, allowing team to switch bowlers for an extra batter during the match.
It has diminished the role of the all-rounders and has led to some massive scores, and although the rule will not be in place in the World Cup, it has impacted how selectors choose to balance their sides.
Jamie Overton has been overlooked because of a back injury (Getty Images)
When asked if power was a big focus for England, Key said: “I think so. When we had that series in the Caribbean before Christmas, it was a beneficial thing to do.
“It was a slug fest really. Six after six with both teams trading blows. That became apparent how much value you have to put on the power game.
“Also, I think it’s our strength. Look down our list: you see (Jos) Buttler, (Phil) Salt, (Will) Jacks, (Jonny) Bairstow, (Liam) Livingstone, Moeen (Ali), Jordan, whoever it is comes into those roles.
“Generally I think it’ll be that batting depth we want. Cos what it does is give a license to the people before them.
“When you go out as an opener with that long batting line-up that sort of allows you to go a bit hard and a bit sooner. People talk about playing without fear but actually it’s not easy to do if you’re the last man left and you fall off a cliff with your batting after that.”
England start their T20 World Cup defence in the United States and the West Indies, and their first match is against Scotland on June 4 2024 in Barbados.
England Provisional ICC Men’s T20 World Cup squad:
Jos Buttler (Lancashire) Captain
Moeen Ali (Warwickshire)
Jofra Archer (Sussex)
Jonathan Bairstow (Yorkshire)
Harry Brook (Yorkshire)
Sam Curran (Surrey)
Ben Duckett (Nottinghamshire)
Tom Hartley (Lancashire)
Will Jacks (Surrey)
Chris Jordan (Surrey)
Liam Livingstone (Lancashire)
Adil Rashid (Yorkshire)
Phil Salt (Lancashire)
Reece Topley (Surrey)
Mark Wood (Durham)
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