Jofra Archer simply must be in England’s plans for this summer’s ICC Cricket World Cup in the eyes of former international Chris Tremlett.

Barbados-born Archer has yet to play international cricket but new rules brought in for the start of this year would allow him to get the nod for the summer showpiece on home soil.

And as a man who bowls 90mph rockets for fun, there’s no time like the present for England to play their 23-year-old ace card.

Sussex’s Archer has lit up both red- and white-ball cricket over the past two years and with batsmen quaking in their boots at the thought of facing him, former Test player Tremlett feels England would be missing a trick if they didn’t include him in the final 15.

“I saw him a couple of years ago in county cricket, I was watching some highlights and all of a sudden was this guy waddling in and bowling absolute rockets,” said Tremlett, speaking in Southampton on the latest leg of the ICC Cricket World Cup Trophy Tour.

“He’s rapid, and whenever he bowled there were always stumps going everywhere.

“Whenever he bowls it looks effortless, from the moment I saw him you could see there was something special and something about him, he didn’t bowl quite as quickly even then but it looks like he’s done some work on his run-up to get out-and-out pace.

“The speed gun suggests that, when he gets it right, he is bowling 93-95mph which is scarily quick.
“He’s shown he can field brilliantly, he can bat – he’s got it all, and he’s the sort of player that is going to cause headaches for the selectors.

“I would have him in the squad, you might not necessarily play him in the first game but to have him there is only a positive.”

Archer’s inclusion would see England switch up from a consistent formula that has worked wonders since the last World Cup four years ago.

The likes of David Willey, Liam Plunkett and Chris Woakes have been lynchpins in the side, though Mark Wood has also thrown his hat into the ring with fiery spells across all formats.

Pace is therefore the buzzword when it comes to England’s bowling line-up – with Tremlett keen for the World Cup side not to miss out on the fun.

“England have had so much preparation for this World Cup where they’ve not really chopped and changed things, so it’s whether they want to disrupt that by throwing Jofra in,” he added.

“You’d rather have Jofra Archer up your sleeve if one of the bowlers isn’t quite right, has a sore back or something – you’re wanting him to come in and perform rather than having a spare batsman in there.

“England are pretty set in how they want to go, guys have got roles in the team which they’re used to – but he’s such an exciting talent. Past the World Cup, I’d have him in there every day.

“England have been working on this for the past four years, getting a squad which they’re comfortable with and have been performing well consistently.

“They’ve got a fantastic choice in there and adding Archer to the mix would only boost that.”

ICC Cricket World Cup Trophy Tour, driven by Nissan, commences 100-day tour of England and Wales and will be at over 100 locations and events before arriving back in London ready for the opening match on May 30