LONDON: England’s Ben Stokes believes fellow all-rounder Jofra Archer has a strong chance of being included in their World Cup squad, saying the ‘naturally gifted’ player could improve any team in world cricket.

Barbados-born Archer, who shone for Sussex last season and in Australia’s Big Bash Twenty20 league for Hobart Hurricanes, is eligible for national selection under new England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) residency rules.

The uncapped 24-year-old has played 28 first-class games and has a number of high-profile admirers, including former players Nasser Hussain and Devon Malcolm.

“Jofra makes any team better,” Stokes told The Doosra podcast on BBC Radio 5 Live. “He is the most naturally gifted bowler I’ve seen and I don’t think he quite realises how good he is. Some of the things he can do at the click of a finger are just ‘wow’. It’s pretty special to watch.

“To have someone at the pace he bowls and the skills he has... the selectors are going to be scratching their heads... it’s a great position to be in as an England team when you’ve got a player with the skill level Jofra’s got.”

England begin their World Cup campaign against South Africa at The Oval on May 30.

Published in Dawn, April 14th, 2019