LONDON, CMC – Electrifying all-rounder Jofra Archer will now be eligible to play for his adopted country England in March, 2019, following changes to the eligibility regulations by the England and Wales Cricket Board yesterday.
The 23-year-old Archer who was born in Barbados and represented the West Indies Under-19s, moved to Sussex in 2015 with hopes of eventually playing for England.
Yesterday the England and Wales Cricket Board announced that players wishing to play for England needed only three years’ residence – down from seven previously for those moving after their 18th birthday – with the changes coming into effect in the New Year.
It means Archer will be in line for a call-up for England’s Caribbean tour in 2019, where they will play three Tests, five ODIs and three Twenty20s beginning on January 23.
“It may or may not happen, but I would love to debut in front of my family,” Archer posted on Twitter of a potential England debut in that first Test match.
However, due to his Twenty20 commitments in the coming months, Archer is not set to reach the 210 days of residency required in his third year until some time in March.
A statement released by Sussex Cricket said, “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,” the statement added.
Archer may not be available in time for a return to Barbados to play the Windies, but the Cricket World Cup and the Ashes remain viable targets later next year.
Under previous regulations, he would not have been set to qualify for England until 2022.
