Rising global superstar, Jofra Archer could be eligible to play for England in ICC World Cup 2019 after all in dramatic rule change.
In what amounts to a remarkable turnaround in eligibility rules by the England and Wales cricket Board, one of the world’s rising stars in white ball cricket could be allowed to play for England in next year’s ICC World Cup 2019.
Jofra Archer, 23, was born and raised in Barbados and played cricket for the West Indies under 19s but also has an English father, a British passport and is a British citizen.
Under previous rules any player born outside of the UK, regardless of nationality had to have been resident for seven years before becoming available for selection to the England team. But following a meeting at Lords last week, the ECB have now downgraded the criteria to just 3 years. The new ruling comes into effect on January 1st, 2019 therefore making Archer eligible from March 2019, just in time for the tournament.
The governing body declared in their statement that they wanted to “bring the ECB regulations closer to those of the ICC”.
So what’s all the fuss about this young allrounder, and why might his inclusion have such an impact on the tournament next year.
He has been plying his trade as a fearsome fast bowler and hard hitting batter since 2015 for Sussex and all across the globe as a franchise cricketer, including stints in the Big Bash for the Hobart Hurricanes, currently playing in the U.A.E T10 competition, and a whopping £800,000 IPL deal for last year’s Rajasthan Royal team.
It was Sussex team mate and fellow Barbadian allrounder Chris Jordan who first alerted the world to Archer’s precocious talent, declaring the “sky’s the limit” when it came to the young man’s cricketing potential.
Early next year, England take on the West Indies, one of the games being played in Archer’s hometown of Bridgetown. At news of the ECB’s change of heart and the possibility of a homecoming debut Archer, via his Twitter feed, said:
“It may or may not happen but I would love to debut in front of my family.”
It’s likely that that game will come too soon for Jofra as there are complicating factors if all the criteria are to be met. As well as 3 year’s residency the following requirements must also be met.
The new ECB eligibility criteria for players, both men and women, from January 1st, 2019, are:
a) British Citizenship and,
b) Either born in England/Wales, or 3 years residence (a total of 210 days/year April-March) and
c) Not played as a local player in professional international or domestic cricket in a Full Member country within the last 3 years
For comparison, the current ICC eligibility criteria for all players, is:
a) British citizenship; or
b) Born in England/Wales; or
c) 3 years residence (on a rolling basis) and not having played for another Full Member country in the past 3 years
The previous ECB eligibility criteria for male players was:
a) British citizenship; and
b) Either born in England/Wales, or 7-year residence if moving from a Full Member County and arriving after 18th birthday, or 4 years if moving from an Associate Member County or arriving before 18th birthday (residence = 210 day/year April-March); and
c) Not played as a local player in professional international or domestic cricket in a full member country within 4/7 years.
And it is the question of being resident for at least 210 days per year in the UK that may be the most difficult to achieve. A consequence of his success and the global clamour to sign him around the world, it is ironic that this overseas fame might delay his England debut. It may mean reneging on some of his overseas commitments including this winter’s Big Bash.
A spokesperson for his home county team, Sussex explained:
“The exact date of Jofra’s qualification will depend on the time he spends out of the country during the rest of 2018-19. Qualifying for England has long been an aim of Jofra’s and Sussex Cricket is delighted for him that this ambition will now be realised sooner than previously envisaged.”
It seems that Eoin Morgan has been keen to fast track Archer’s availability as his fierce brand of cricket can only enhance England’s chances of lifting their first ICC World Cup. The one element that seems to be slightly lacking in England’s otherwise formidable bowling line-up, is true out and out pace. Jofra Archer’s fast bowling has been clocked at 94 mph which makes him as ferocious a fast bowler as there is out there. By comparison, one of his likely pace bowling team mates, Olly Stone registered a top-speed delivery of 89 mph in the 3rd Sri Lanka v England ODI in Kandy and only New Zealand’s Lockie Ferguson has matched Archer in ODI this year.
Jon Lewis, Sussex’s bowling coach had this to say about his protégé:
“Personally, I rate Jofra above Tom Helm, the Curran brothers and the Overtons at Somerset in red-ball cricket and the equivalent of Tom Curran with the white ball,”
And that doesn’t even take into account his prowess with bat and his ultra athletic fielding capabilities.
Sussex Director of Cricket, Keith Greenfield believes that:
“He can be world-class; there is no doubt about that. Everyone currently sees his bowling potential but he is a gifted mover. His fielding can keep getting better, he is very handy with bat but no one has seen that massively yet. Remember he is still young so there is still a long way to go.”
Regardless of the exact date of Jofra Archer’s eligibility, it is one hundred percent sure that it will come in time for England and Wales to host the ICC World Cup 2019. And what a stage it will be to make his mark on the international cricketing scene.
