With England set to announce their 15-man squad for the 2019 ICC World Cup on Wednesday, all-rounder Chris Woakes has stated that a potential call up for Jofra Archer would be ‘morally unfair’ on the rest of the players.
West Indies-born Archer is in the process of being fast-tracked into the England international setup and is widely expected to make the cut for the 15-man squad for the World Cup.
Archer’s Rajasthan Royals team-mate Ben Stokes had only recently described the pacer as the most ‘naturally gifted’ bowler he has even seen but Woakes feels that including him in the World Cup squad could have wider ramifications.
“It probably wouldn’t be fair, morally, but at the same time it’s the nature of international sport,” Woakes told BBC Sport.
Chris Woakes and Nasser Hussain with the 2019 World Cup.
“If he was to come in and someone was to miss out, it would be extremely unfortunate. We’ve been a tight-knit group for the last two to three years, played some really strong cricket, won a lot of series.
“I wouldn’t want to see any of my mates and teammates miss out.”
England will announce a 17-man squad for upcoming ODI clashes against Ireland and Pakistan on Monday as well with Archer set to feature. While Woakes believes Archer’s call-up could be unfair on other squad members, the all-rounder does not feel it will disrupt England’s preparations in a big way.
“I don’t think it would disrupt the team, because everyone would find a way to move on and we’re trying to win a World Cup for England. That’s the bigger picture,” Woakes said.
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