Jofra Archer will have to prove his ODI credentials, says Trevor Bayliss
Trevor Bayliss has warned Jofra Archer he will not walk straight into England’s World Cup squad, saying that the bowlers who led the Twenty20 team to a 3-0 series whitewash against West Indies had raised the bar for what is required.
The Barbados-born fast bowler, who qualifies for England on Sunday, will get a chance to stake his claim for his adopted country at the start of the summer.
England have to name their World Cup squad by 23 April but can make changes until the final deadline on 22 May. Archer is not expected to be included in the initial 15-man party but is expected to make the final cut if he impresses in the one-off ODI against Ireland on 3 May and the five-match series against Pakistan that follows.
However, those on the fringes of the squad stepped up during a one-sided T20 series in the Caribbean when the home side was bowled out for 45 and 71 in the final two matches in St Kitts. Chris Jordan, who took four for six on Friday, David Willey with four for seven on Sunday and Tom Curran, who took four for 36 in the first match in St Lucia, all took career-best figures.
“With the chat that has been around about Jofra in the last month or two it’s been good to see the response we’ve had from the bowlers,” Bayliss said. “Some of the performances on this trip have been fantastic. Sometimes the best pressure is from within and there hasn’t been a lot of pressure on the group from a bowling point of view for a while. With that chat about Jofra the guys we’ve got here have really stood up and bowled extremely well.
“That’s a good thing for England cricket. It’s great to see those guys raise the bar and put in the performances they did over the T20s. Going into that World Cup, it’s got to be a bonus.”
Asked whether Archer, whose 90mph deliveries could be a huge bonus during the World Cup, still had a lot to do to prove himself, Bayliss said: “He probably will get some games during that Pakistan series but there’s the possibility of someone like Chris Jordan getting a game as well.
“So it’s a little far off yet. We’ll have to have a debrief on this series and have a chat a little closer to that Pakistan series.”
There was also an indication from Bayliss that Graham Thorpe, a key member of England’s white-ball set-up, will be the batting coach across all formats until the end of this summer’s Ashes series. It follows the sacking of Mark Ramprakash, the lead batting coach for the Test team, last week.
Joe Root, meanwhile, will play the first two matches of the County Championship season for Yorkshire after England announced player availability for the start of the summer. The Test captain has played every match of England’s tour of the Caribbean and will be key to his country’s chances in the World Cup and Ashes. But he will be available the opening matches of Yorkshire’s Division One campaign for the matches at Nottinghamshire and Hampshire in early April.