Archer happy waiting time for England slashed

› I owe a big thanks to Rajasthan Royals for bidding for me at such a young age without playing any international cricket.

On getting a break in IPL 2017

DUBAI: As James Anderson gets close to retirement, it could mark the arrival of an exciting fast bowling prospect for England in Barbadian Jofra Archer, after the England Board (ECB) decided on Thursday to reduce the eligibility criteria from seven years to three.

For the 23-year-old, who would have had to wait another four years to become eligible, England selection would also mean an end to a tough and uncertain journey which began in 2015 when he arrived at Sussex.

“It’s very hard, you leave all the friends and family behind. I guess it was hard for my mother as well; I was around for 18 years of my life and then one summer I never came back. It has worked out (well). Now, I get to make it back for the all the years I have been away,” Archer said on the sidelines of the T10 League in Sharjah.

However, Archer, who is playing for Sindhis in the tournament, says the rule change does not mean he becomes an automatic selection in the England side, despite ODI captain Eoin Morgan backing him.

He said, “Probably one of them (one of the best days in his career). It’s just a qualification; it does not say I am going to be picked anytime soon. It is still great news, probably don’t have to wait for (completing) seven years anymore. That also gives me a few more weeks to play at home.”

Archer, who was bought by Rajasthan Royals for a whopping ~7.2 crore in the last IPL, said he was unperturbed by the pressure mounted by big money and expectations.

“Luckily I was able to stand up to it and the pressure did not really affect me that much. The team got to the quarter-finals, we lost… Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes were two key guys for us. If they were available, we could have gone on a bit more,” he said.

Archer, who played at U-19 level for West Indies, was thankful to Rajasthan Royals for showing faith in him. “I had never been to India, it was very nice to get there and experience the culture. I saw my first real tiger, not in captivity, at Ranthambore. That was one of the things I got to tick off my bucket list. ”