World Cup squad: England get it spot on with Jofra Archer decision

Jofra Archer was always going to be the main talking point in this England squad selection.

Uncapped, inexperienced but surely too good to leave out has been the most common assessment of the Barbados-born bowler while others have suggested his inclusion could disrupt a settled group.

The way England have gone about it is probably for the best. Archer undoubtedly brings with him pace rivalled only by Mark Wood, a killer slower ball and the ability to bowl at any time throughout the innings.

But handing him his first England start in a World Cup game would be foolish, so giving him a runout in the five-match series with Pakistan beforehand offers plenty of time to assess his qualities and whether or not he has a place in that starting 11.

Elsewhere there are few surprises. The top six batsmen - Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan, Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler - have been nailed on for some time, while Alex Hales is a strong option as understudy.

Liam Plunkett has been among England’s most prolific bowlers in the last year and David Willey's left-arm swing is well-suited to the overcast conditions we can expect to see at the World Cup.

Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali are England's fiercest spin-bowling duo while Tom Curran, who took 20 wickets in the recent Big Bash campaign, is one of the best death bowlers around.

The only other challenge was choosing between Joe Denly or Liam Dawson as the additional spin bowler and England look to have made the right call there as well, with Denly offering more with the bat.

The discussion, though, tends to come full circle back to Archer. This is a squad capable of challenging for the World Cup - bookmakers agree rating them 9-4 favourites - and any late tweaks could be deemed risky.

But Archer offers something different, something special. His explosive mid-innings bowler can turn a match on its head and he is handy with the bat as well. For now, we shall see how he performs against potential World Cup underdogs Pakistan and then, who knows?

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