JOFRA’S WORLD CUP TRIAL

Archer must impress in six warm-ups to make the squad

his debut against Ireland and play five times against Pakistan to prove his worth as a 50-over match-winner able to operate above 90mph hour with the ball and add lower-order runs.

“Jofra Archer’s name keeps cropping up and I think at some stage we will give him an opportunity,” said Bayliss.

“We have to name the squad in April but we’ve another month or so when we can change it. It would be a bit silly to name him in a squad, play him and take him out. It would upset things a bit too much. But now we’ve the opportunity to have a look at someone like that why not take it?

“Probably the way we would go is in those matches against Pakistan and Ireland, I think he will get an opportunity to show us what he can do.

“He’s a bowler who looks like he could bowl in all three phases of the game. He can take the new ball, he can bowl through the middle and he can bowl at the end which is a good skill set to have.

“The guys in the team, they’ve got hold of those positions and in a way it’s theirs to lose. If they keep performing and doing well it’s difficult to bring people in.”

The problem for those in the squad such as Tom Curran and Liam Plunkett is they have just been carted around the Caribbean by Chris Gayle, showing their fragility, while David Willey has not even played.

A further issue is how unsettling a new face at the 11th hour would be for a group that has become so tight-knit.

“It’s something we have to think about and that will be one of the decisions we have to make,” added Bayliss. “Firstly, is he good enough to be in the team and secondly, will it upset the apple cart to a degree that affects the way we play?”