London: Barbados-born uncapped Jofra Archer is “not going to get upset” for missing out from England’s preliminary 15-man World Cup squad. Rather, the all-rounder is “excited to play against Pakistan” as he is in contention to make his ODI debut ahead of the marquee event. Born to a British father, the 24-year-old qualified to play for England on residence last month. Archer has been named to play against Ireland and Pakistan in seven games, beginning May 3.
“It is not all about the World Cup for me right now; it is about playing against Pakistan which is what I have been selected for. It will still be the highlight of my career to play for England in the series against Pakistan. Of course, I want to play in the World Cup, but if it does not happen for me I am not going to get upset. I am just so excited to play against Pakistan and this is a position I did not imagine I would be in at this stage,” ecb.co.uk quoted Archer, as saying. Archer, who did not expect to “ever be good enough to play for England”, is playing in T20 tournaments around the world. Currently, he is competing in the Indian Premier League (IPL), where he is donning Rajasthan Royals’ jersey.
When asked how excited he is for Pakistan series, Archer said: “I am going to give it my best shot. I have worked pretty much all my life for this moment and I just want to tackle it and put my best foot forward. It should be a good series. Hopefully, I get a chance to play and do myself justice.” “I am not in the World Cup squad but it is a great chance for me to show what I can do and anything can happen. If someone gets injured, I want to put myself in a position where I am the first person they turn to,” he said.
England will take on Ireland in a one-off ODI on May 3, while the series against Pakistan begins on May 5. The host will then take on Australia and Afghanistan in the warm-up matches before opening its World Cup campaign against South Africa in the curtain-raiser on May 30 at The Oval, London.
