Impressive England can retain T20 World Cup but wounded

The return of Jofra Archer and the emergence of batters Phil Salt and Will Jacks make Jos Buttler’s side serious contenders

England’s preparation for the T20 World Cup has not gone entirely to plan, thanks to rain in Leeds and Cardiff, but the glimpses we have seen have been very encouraging. In the two games against Pakistan that went ahead they looked like a team that has all bases covered. Jofra Archer’s return is huge: in this format he is high class, a real point of difference, and with him the team has quality and variety in its bowling attack.

Nearly 10 years after he was fast-tracked into the England side Archer is set to finally play for his adopted country in the Caribbean, where he was born and raised. I wonder how that will make him feel, but also whether he feels he has a debt to repay, having been very well supported by the ECB through his injuries and despite a lot of time out of the game. Like many England fans, I am just looking forward to watching him play.