Archer named in England's T20 World Cup squad

Jofra Archer has taken 18 wickets in 15 T20s since his debut in 2019

Jofra Archer has been recalled to the England squad for their defence of the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean and United States in June.

Fast bowler Archer, 29, will make his latest comeback from a long-standing elbow injury that has prevented him from playing for England since March 2023.

Fellow fast bowler Chris Jordan also earns a recall, but there is no place for Chris Woakes, a World Cup winner in both limited-overs formats.

Uncapped left-arm spinner Tom Hartley is included in a 15-man provisional squad, captained by Jos Buttler.

England T20 World Cup squad

Jos Buttler (capt, wk), Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Harry Brook, Sam Curran, Ben Duckett, Tom Hartley, Will Jacks, Chris Jordan, Liam Livingstone, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Reece Topley, Mark Wood.

10 survivors from 2022

The same group will take on Pakistan in a four-match T20 series, which begins at Headingley on 22 May.

The eight members of the squad currently playing in the Indian Premier League, including Buttler, will return for the beginning of that series. The captain could, however, miss some of the Pakistan series for the birth of his third child.

The deadline for naming a final World Cup squad is 25 May, and England begin the defence of the title they won in Australia in 2022 against Scotland in Barbados on 4 June.

Buttler’s side will include 10 survivors from the squad that made them the first men’s team to hold both limited-overs World Cups simultaneously.

However, England surrendered the 50-over World Cup in shambolic fashion in India last autumn, and anything like a repeat this time around would leave Buttler and head coach Matthew Mott in severe danger of being replaced.

In a bid to avoid one of the mistakes from the 50-over World Cup, when England named what they initially said was a final squad, only to then replace Jason Roy with Harry Brook, managing director Rob Key confirmed this is a provisional squad and changes could yet be made.

Test captain Ben Stokes, who was part of the 50-over World Cup squad, asked not to be considered for this tournament so he can focus on rehabilitation from a knee operation.

Jordan gets nod over Woakes

England’s main decisions have come in the pace-bowling department, most notably putting faith in the immensely talented Archer, who has been plagued by right elbow and back injuries in recent years.

He missed all of last summer after a recurrence of the stress fracture in his elbow and England have been cautious will his rehab. Archer will look to prove his fitness against Pakistan and then would be in line to play for England in Barbados, the country of his birth.

Key told BBC Sport: "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.

"He can start, bowl in the middle and at the end, and he smack it as well. Fingers crossed we continue to go in the right direction with him."

Like Archer, 35-year-old Jordan was also born in Barbados and gets the nod over Woakes despite being omitted from the England squad for the tour of West Indies in December.

Jordan has improved his late-order hitting, provides a death-bowling option England may otherwise have lacked and is arguably the best all-round fielder in the world.

"I don’t see Jordan and Woakes as like for like," added Key. "Reece Topley has pipped Chris Woakes. Woakes is an excellent new bowler, but Topley with his left-arm angle and what he has been doing in the past year has cemented his place with the new ball.

"Chris Jordan is in there for his batting as well as his bowling. Not only is he an excellent death bowler and bowled all the tough overs in T20 cricket, but his batting has kicked on as well."

Left-arm spinner Hartley, 24, has not played a T20 international, but impressed on the Test tour of India and gets in ahead of leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed.

It is with the bat where England look strongest. Buttler, Will Jacks and Jonny Bairstow have all made centuries in this year’s IPL, where Phil Salt has also been in good form. Ben Duckett and Brook both made hundreds in the latest round of County Championship matches.

As expected, Dawid Malan is not included. The Yorkshire left-hander has not played for England since the 50-over World Cup and his international career looks to be over even though he was awarded a central contract in October.

As well as Scotland, England are in a first-round group alongside Australia, Namibia and Oman.

For the first time, the men’s T20 World Cup has been expended to 20 teams. Hosts United States begin the tournament on 1 June (0130 BST 2 June) against Canada in Texas in a repeat of the first-ever international game of cricket. The final is on 29 June in Barbados.