Defending Champion England’s Squad Announcement; Jordan and Jofra Return For T20 World Cup

As part of England’s tentative T20 World Cup squad, Chris Jordan has been called up to the white-ball setup, replacing Chris Woakes. Jofra Archer is also included, getting ready to make his competitive cricket comeback after over a year away from the field.

Along with Archer and uncapped Lancashire left arm spinner Tom Hartley, Jordan, who made his final game for his country in September 2023 against New Zealand, has 88 Twenty20 international caps. Following his recovery from a right elbow injury that prevented him from competing since May 2023, Archer has been declared healthy. Prior to Rehan Ahmed, Hartley—who came to popularity earlier this year—was selected as the second frontline spinner. He took 22 wickets against India in his first-ever Test series.

In Jos Buttler’s team to defend England’s 2022 championship, the only real surprises are the addition of Jordan and Woakes’ later removal. Jordan has emerged as a substitute for Jamie Overton, who is out due to a back injury. He has averaged 30.05 and struck at 160.53 in all T20 cricket since the 2023 Vitality Blast began. Jordan did not play in the T20I series against the West Indies in December, which England lost 3-2. He’s still a great fielder and may be used as a death bowler.

Regarding Jordan’s recall, England’s director of cricket Rob Key stated, “We’ve watched CJ for a while now and his bowling has always been a serious factor for us.” We always check for bowling ability at the end of the game, but this time around his hitting looks to have picked up a little. Power is highly valued in the Caribbean, which is why CJ has gained access with ease.”

Regarding Archer, Key stated that England was still “crossing their fingers” due to the severity of his recent injury setbacks, which included a back stress fracture in addition to his ongoing elbow issues. However, Key was hopeful that the four-match T20I series against Pakistan in May would help him get off to a quick start because he would be playing in front of his friends and relatives in Barbados.

“Jofra’s that bowler that’s just so special, you do everything you can to try to get him back playing,” he stated. This time, we’ve chosen the more difficult path. But until Jofra is on the field, as usual, we have to cross our fingers. You’re waiting for something wonderful to occur, but until he shows up, you won’t fully believe it. However, he’s now tracking fairly well.

“Hopefully, the next phase will be seeing how he continues to play at full-match intensity during the Pakistan series. However, we’re doing everything we can right now, and things are going well for him. Jofra is also quite eager to play in Barbados, as you would guess.”

Throughout England’s limited-overs lineup, Woakes has been a constant, especially when it comes to the new ball during their victories in the 2019 ODI and 2022 T20I World Cups. His exclusion and Ben Stokes’s decision to withdraw from consideration for selection signal, in many ways, the end of an era. Woakes has not yet made an appearance for the Punjab Kings in the IPL this year.

While Key maintained that Woakes’ white-ball career was not over, he made it apparent that, following his Ashes triumph last summer that earned him the Compton-Miller medal, this year’s Test series against the West Indies and Sri Lanka would most likely be his primary focus.

Also Read: England’s T20 World Cup Triumph: Stokes and Curran Shine Bright