World Cup: How Jofra Archer secured place in England squad
- Published
Jofra Archer has taken 24 wickets at an average of 31.37 in 17 List A matches
In the end, the remarkable thing about Jofra Archer's selection in the England World Cup squad was that it was not remarkable at all.
Three one-day internationals was all that it took for the Sussex pace bowler to become a shoo-in.
England had become the best one-day side in the world without him but when he became available and, more importantly, showed glimpses of what he is capable of, it was unthinkable that they would try to win the World Cup without him.
In announcing the squad on a sun-kissed morning at Lord's, national selector Ed Smith called Archer a "special cricketer", joining those who have heaped praise on the 24-year-old since he first pulled on an England shirt this month.
Yes, it is unfortunate that David Willey, a regular face in England's dominance of 50-over cricket in the past four years, has had to miss out, but this is elite sport and there is no room for sentiment.
The immensely talented Archer, born in Barbados to a British father, only became eligible to play for England in March.
Already a star of Twenty20 leagues in India and Australia, it was initially thought that he would have to wait for 2022 to serve the residency requirement.
That was until the England and Wales Cricket Board changed their qualification criteria in November.
There is no suggestion that move was made with Archer specifically in mind, but it is certainly a happy coincidence that a cricketer who can bowl in excess of 90mph, hit the ball into the next postcode and catch flies in the field is available for England's biggest cricketing summer in history.
As Willey has been the one to miss out, some may return to the Yorkshire bowler's comments of earlier in the year, when the prospect of Archer arriving late to the World Cup party stopped being a possibility and became a certainty.
"It's a group of players that have been together for three or four years now that have got us to number one and there's a reason for that," said the left-armer.
"Whether someone should just walk in at the drop of a hat because they're available, whether that's the right thing I don't know."
It is a legitimate sporting debate to question if the belated entry of Archer, no matter how good he is, could upset the dressing-room dynamic of a team that would have been favourites to win the World Cup if he wasn't available. Archer himself even said that he did not want to "step on any toes".
Mark Wood, Liam Plunkett and Chris Woakes expressed similar feelings to Willey, even if they were keen to praise Archer at the same time.
International sportsmen are only human and all of England's fast bowlers must have had private moments where they wondered if Archer's arrival meant their own exit.
But concerns over self-preservation come second to the desire to succeed. It would not have taken long for the entire England team to see that Archer's presence will give them a greater chance of winning the World Cup.
In the first match of the series against Pakistan, Archer was playing his second ODI. Rain ruined the fixture but, in the play that was possible, Archer's four overs of pace, hostility, movement and control ensured that he was on the way to the World Cup.
Afterwards, Plunkett told the media that Archer is a "class act" and that England were a better team with him in it.
But it was not just to his own team-mates that Archer had proved himself.
In the second ODI in Southampton, former England captain Michael Vaughan joked that he had never seen a team miss a bowler so badly after only two matches as England did with Archer.
As the series moved on to Bristol and Archer was again rested, a friend of mine with a ticket for the game texted me to say "where's Jofra?" There was no mention of the omission of Jos Buttler, who had smashed a 50-ball century three days earlier.
For any player new to a team, there are two areas in which to impress: as a performer and as a person.
All of the public talk from England has been how Archer has quietly integrated into the dressing room. Privately, those connected with the team have spoken of his impressive humility.
For those looking hard enough, there have been plenty of examples of how hard Archer has worked to fit into his new environment.
In training sessions, he will playfully bowl left-arm spin in the nets. In Southampton, knowing he wasn't playing, he hit catches for those in the team during the warm-up.
After that game, with the ground empty bar a few journalists working into the evening, Archer appeared in the media centre with some family visiting from Barbados. He marvelled at the view, as if the hacks had a better job than the players.
On Sunday at Headingley, Archer was again on the sidelines and running the drinks.
He frequently emerged from the dugout, sprinting on to the field with the energy of a dog bounding after a ball. He had an England rucksack on his back, a strap over each shoulder, proudly wearing it as if he had saved his pocket money to buy it from the merchandise stand.
Jofra Archer made his one-day debut against Ireland on 3 May and played two matches against Pakistan
On one occasion, as he and Plunkett were leaving the field, he tapped his fellow fast bowler on the left shoulder and, as Plunkett turned to look, ducked around to the right. It was like a little brother ribbing his older sibling.
Even on Tuesday, after his place in the squad was confirmed, Archer's enthusiasm was still plain for all to see.
"I got a call from Ed Smith yesterday, maybe about 6 o'clock or so. I was actually driving at the time; I just felt the phone vibrate. I answered it without looking at it then I was like 'oh, good evening'," he told Sky Sports.
"It is really, really exciting to be part of such a big summer for English cricket.
"Everyone welcomed me with open arms from the moment I got in. It is a really good team to be a part of, great support staff and coaches. It is probably one of the better teams I've played in."
There is another dimension to Archer's international arrival, one further down the road, but perhaps where he can have a greater impact than a World Cup where England were fancied to win anyway: the Ashes.
"If they pick me, I'd be over the moon but right now I've got a World Cup to think about," he said.
"I don't expect to walk into the Test team. If selected, I'll work my butt off, but if not, I'll go back to Sussex and keep putting in the performances."
It is not just taking on Australia at home where Archer can make a difference.
For so long, England have travelled down under only to be bombed into submission by the extra pace of the relentless Australia fast bowlers.
Now, with Archer joining Mark Wood and Olly Stone, England have weapons of their own.
The Ashes tour of 2021-22 is already a tantalising prospect.
England squad
Eoin Morgan (capt, Middlesex), Moeen Ali (Worcestershire), Jofra Archer (Sussex), Jonny Bairstow (wk, Yorkshire), Jos Buttler (wk, Lancashire), Tom Curran (Surrey), Liam Dawson (Hampshire), Liam Plunkett (Surrey), Adil Rashid (Yorkshire), Joe Root (Yorkshire), Jason Roy (Surrey), Ben Stokes (Durham), James Vince (Hampshire), Chris Woakes (Warwickshire), Mark Wood (Durham).