The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has officially announced that Jofra Archer, the star fast bowler, will be included in England’s World Cup squad as a reserve player. The ECB clarified that Archer will continue his rehabilitation and fitness regimen while accompanying the team in India.
Jofra Archer had initially been sidelined from the ICC World Cup 2023 due to a recurring elbow injury sustained during the 2023 IPL season, causing him to miss the entire English summer. There was anticipation regarding his potential inclusion in the World Cup squad, as he had been seen training with the team.
However, Archer’s fitness was not deemed sufficient for tournament participation. Nevertheless, he will travel with the team to India in a reserve capacity. ECB’s national selector, Luke Wright, confirmed this decision and emphasized the importance of prioritizing Archer’s rehabilitation.
“Jofra Archer will be traveling with the squad to India. He is one of the reserves, but we also need to look after him and focus on his rehab,” stated Luke Wright. ECB recently finalized their squad for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. They will play the tournament opener against New Zealand on 5th October in Ahmedabad.
Also Read: Wasim Akram Predicts Difficult Comeback Path for Shreyas Iyer into India’s Playing XIIn addition to the update on Jofra Archer, Luke Wright also revealed that Joe Root has been included in England’s squad for the first ODI against Ireland. Root himself expressed a desire to be part of the squad following a challenging series against New Zealand, where he experienced a downturn in form.
Luke Wright further addressed the late omission of Jason Roy from the ICC World Cup squad. Although Roy had initially been named in the provisional squad as an opening batsman alongside Jonny Bairstow, he was eventually left out in favor of Harry Brook. Wright acknowledged that such decisions are a harsh reality in the world of sports.
“It’s not a decision we’ve taken lightly. In the early squad, we had him down for opening the batting with Jonny Bairstow in the World Cup… but things happen in sport, injuries happen. Everyone was told, ‘Look, this is the 15 we’re looking to take to the World Cup,’ but unfortunately, that’s the ruthless side of sport, isn’t it? It’s not the nice side of sport that changes do have to be made.”
England Squad for ICC ODI World Cup 2023: Jos Buttler (c), Moeen Ali, Gus Atkinson, Jonny Bairstow (wk), Harry Brook, Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Reece Topley, David Willey, Mark Wood, Chris Woakes.