England's World Cup squad will not feature Jofra Archer, as he was unable to regain his fitness within the allocated time. He will accompany the team to India in the capacity of a traveling reserve unless his injury recovery takes a remarkable turn.
Jofra Archer will not be part of England's #CWC23 squad, national selector Luke Wright has confirmed.
— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) August 16, 2023
Archer will only fly to India as a travelling reserve, with the squad for the upcoming New Zealand series set to be England's provisional World Cup squad pic.twitter.com/iKiiC4pxNb
England's ODI squad for the forthcoming four-match series versus New Zealand has been announced, and men's national selector Luke Wright has officially stated that the very same 15 players chosen will represent the team at the World Cup in India.
As a result, fast bowler Jofra Archer, who played a crucial role in England's victory in the 50-over World Cup four years ago, will not be a part of England’s title defense campaign, as he is still in the process of recovering from an elbow injury that has sidelined him all summer.
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What did Luke Wright say about Jofra Archer’s World Cup absence?
“There has got to be a duty of care with Jof,” Wright explained why the selectors did not consider Archer. “We know how desperate we all are to have him, but we've also got to get it right with him – we see him as a huge asset for the future.
“So as much as there is a temptation to rush him back and get him in for the start of this World Cup, unfortunately, we're going to just run out of time.”
Who will replace Jofra Archer in England’s World Cup squad?
Gus Atkinson will get the nod ahead of Archer in England’s World Cup lineup, earning a debut selection after an impressive display this season. The 25-year-old has made his mark with 20 wickets in five County Championship matches for Surrey, maintaining a solid average of 20.20. He has also made a mark in The Hundred, ranking as the second-highest wicket-taker with nine wickets in four matches, averaging 10.66 per wicket.
Wright commentated on Atkinson’s inclusion in Englad’s 15-men squad for the World Cup: “Gus deserves to be in there. He is hugely exciting and has been outstanding – and not just in The Hundred.
“He is someone I've been a big fan of for a while. He roughed me up on a few occasions as a player, so when I came into this role he was someone I was keen on. And he has really kicked on this year.
“He adds that extra pace that everyone is always looking for. He is a real asset and we're delighted to give him an opportunity.”
Jofra Archer’s 2019 World Cup heroics
During the lead-up to the 2019 Cricket World Cup, Jofra Archer found himself initially excluded from England's preliminary squad. His undeniable talent caught the attention of fans and fellow cricketers, including the former England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff, who expressed his willingness to replace any player in the squad with Archer.
The Barbados-born pacer, however, forced England selectors to reconsider after his stellar displays against Pakistan and Ireland. He replaced David Willey in the squad and went on to become a crucial part of England’s historic World Cup-winning squad.
Archer did not miss a single match for England in the World Cup, and finished the tournament as England’s top wicket-taker, with 20 wickets to his name in 11 outings. His performance in the World Cup 2019 Final, in particular, will be an immortal part of cricket folklore.
After England and New Zealand ended up scoring the same amount of runs in the 2019 World Cup, the match went into super over. The hosts batted first and asked the Kiwis to score 16 runs off six balls to clinch the title.
England's captain, Eoin Morgan, entrusted Archer with the pivotal over. The right-arm fast bowler had a shaky beginning, delivering the first ball wide. Despite this, his next delivery was an impressive yorker, although it allowed James Neesham to secure two runs. As a result, New Zealand found themselves requiring 13 runs from the remaining five deliveries.
Neesham significantly tilted the odds in favor of his team by smashing the following ball out of the boundary. The left-handed batsman's six over long-on resulted in New Zealand now requiring just seven runs for victory from the remaining four balls.
Following a pair of twos, Archer's well-executed bouncer shifted Neesham away from strike. In the final moments of a personally challenging tournament, Martin Guptill faced the task of scoring two more runs, or else England would secure victory as they scored a higher number of boundaries. Archer produced a well-placed yorker, prompting Guptill to target deep midwicket. Jason Roy's timely throw left Guptill short, as Joss Buttler took the bells off and ran him out to secure a thrilling victory for England.
Archer's exceptional performance during the 2019 Cricket World Cup earned him a well-deserved place in the CWC 2019 Team of the Tournament.
England’s provisional World Cup squad
Jos Buttler (captain), Moeen Ali, Gus Atkinson, Jonny Bairstow, Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, Reece Topley, David Willey, Mark Wood, Chris Woakes.
England's World Cup mission will get underway on October 5th with a clash against New Zealand at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The teams will play each other in a four-match ODI series before their much-anticipated World Cup opener.