Archer in as England name squad for Cup defence

Jofra Archer is set to make his international comeback at this year's men's T20 World Cup after being included in England's 15-player provisional squad for the tournament.

The 29-year-old pace ace hasn't played at the top level since last year's Indian Premier League where he was ruled out halfway through the tournament due to a recurrence of his troublesome right elbow stress fracture that required surgery.

He hasn't featured for England since their March 2023 tour of Bangladesh but has been building towards a return over the past few months and was part of Sussex's pre-season camp in India last month where he even sent down some overs for a local Karnataka state side to boost his workloads.

England named their squad to defend their global T20 crown this evening Australian time with the Matthew Mott-coached side to face neighbours Scotland in their World Cup opener in Barbados on June 4 (12.30am, June 5 AEST).

England 2024 men's T20 World Cup squad: Jos Buttler (c), Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Harry Brook, Sam Curran, Ben Duckett, Tom Hartley, Will Jacks, Chris Jordan, Liam Livingstone, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Reece Topley, Mark Wood

Chris Jordan has earned a recall almost eight months after his last T20 international following an impressive KFC BBL|13 campaign as a late-order finisher and death bowler for Hobart Hurricanes.

Destructive allrounder Jamie Overton, who also enjoyed a solid BBL|13 with Adelaide Strikers, missed out on selection due to a back injury, while there was no room for veteran seamer Chris Woakes.

Captain Jos Buttler, Will Jacks and Jonny Bairstow – who have all hit centuries in the ongoing IPL season – will feature in a power-packed top order alongside Phil Salt who has also scored four half-centuries striking at 180 for Kolkata Knight Riders.

Allrounders Liam Livingstone and Moeen Ali are also set to join up from the IPL, while Harry Brook has been tuning up with Yorkshire and left-hander Ben Duckett has made the cut as a spare batter.

Emerging left-armer spinner Tom Hartley – who is currently being kept out of Lancashire's XI by Nathan Lyon – is the only uncapped player in squad.

He has been picked to partner leggie Adil Rashid after an impressive debut Test series in India earlier this year, with speedster Mark Wood and left-arm quicks Sam Curran and Reece Topley rounding out the bowling line-up.

Archer's selection in the squad puts him in line for a dream return in front of family in his birth town of Bridgetown, Barbados where England open their World Cup campaign against Scotland and Australia on June 4 and 8 (3am, June 9 AEST) respectively.

"I really do want to be in the team," Archer told podcast The Athlete's Voice by 4CAST earlier this month.

"I really do want to be playing back at home in front of my family. I haven't played for England at all this year, so I think it would be really fitting if that could happen.

"The last two years have been really stop-start … if I'm ready then fine, happy days, but if I'm not they're (the ECB) still supporting me until whenever I am ready."

While England managing director of men's cricket Rob Key previously revealed Archer would not be considered for Test cricket until 2025, his first match in international colours in over a year could come in their four-match home T20 series against Pakistan beginning on May 22.

Key said during an interview earlier this month Archer "bowled quickly" during Sussex's pre-season trip to Bengaluru while the county's head coach Paul Farbrace declared the right-armer was "bowling with exceptional pace".

England are the reigning T20 world champions after defeating Pakistan at the MCG in the final of the previous edition in 2022 and Buttler's side will be hoping to put a disastrous 2023 50-over World Cup behind them to defend the trophy.

But they'll have to do so without talisman Ben Stokes who hit an unbeaten 52 in that final against Pakistan after England's Test captain withdrew from selection for this year's World Cup in the United States and Caribbean to focus on returning to full bowling fitness as an allrounder.

Stokes sent down five overs in March in England's final Test of their India tour, and he is expected to play for Durham in the County Championship to prepare for Test series against West Indies and Sri Lanka in the second half of the northern summer.