Jofra Archer on England’s World Cup radar, says coach Trevor Bayliss

Barbados-born Jofra Archer, who shone for Sussex last season and in Australia’s Big Bash Twenty20 competition for Hobart Hurricanes, will be eligible for national selection next month under new England and Wales Cricket Board residency rules.

England are close to finalising their squad for the 50-overs World Cup in May with a decision over all-rounder Jofra Archer set to be the “final piece of the jigsaw”, coach Trevor Bayliss has said.

File image of Jofra Archer. (AFP)

Barbados-born Archer, who shone for Sussex last season and in Australia’s Big Bash Twenty20 competition for Hobart Hurricanes, will be eligible for national selection next month under new England and Wales Cricket Board residency rules.

The 23-year-old can add a new dimension to the England lineup with his ability to bowl in excess of 90 miles per hour and his lower-order power-hitting skills.

“We’ve pretty much had the same 15, 16 or 17 players over the last three or four years,” Bayliss told Sky Sports.

“We could probably name a 15, there’s a Jofra Archer decision to be made at a later date. I think it’s getting down to that being the final piece of the jigsaw.”