Wood afraid Archer will unbalance World Cup squad – like Asprilla at Newcastle
Provisional 15-man World Cup squad is announced at Lord’s tomorrow and England chiefs are torn about adding uncapped Barbados-born bowler Archer
MARK WOOD has questioned whether Jofra Archer will upset England’s “dynamic”.
And he has likened the situation to Kevin Keegan signing Tino Asprilla during Newcastle’s 1996 title chase.
The provisional 15-man World Cup squad is announced at Lord’s tomorrow.
And England chiefs are torn about adding uncapped Barbados-born bowler Archer in that preliminary party.
They could instead wait to see him in action in next month’s one-dayers against Ireland and Pakistan, then draft him in a week before the tournament starts on May 30.
Wood fears his own place could be under threat by fellow quick Archer, 24, who he admits is “world class”.
But the Durham bowler wonders if England should change Eoin Morgan’s squad given it has got to the top of the world rankings.
And he has compared it to when madcap Colombian striker Asprilla joined Newcastle in February ‘96 - and was blamed for them blowing their lead at the top of the Premier League.
Wood, 29, admitted: “There is no doubt that Jofra is a world-class player.
“He plays in the hardest tournaments, the IPL and the Big Bash, and excels. He handles the pressure. He would be a great asset but would that affect the dynamic of the team?
But if he comes in, someone has to go. And as a fast bowler, my spot is the one that will be under threat
Mark Wood
“Morgy has got the squad so together and tight for four years. Do you change a winning team that is No 1?
“I was speaking about this with the lads at Durham.
“And it was the old Kevin Keegan thing — bringing in Tino Asprilla because you want to keep the team at the top and keep them moving forward.
“But then does that change the dynamic? And all of a sudden, you lose the momentum and drop down.
“Chris Jordan gets on well with everybody and he swears Jofra is a good guy.
“But if he comes in, someone has got to go out.
“And as a fast bowler, my spot is the one that will be the most under threat.
“Would I want to see myself left out? Obviously not.
“Would I want to see someone like Liam Plunkett, who has been our best bowler for three years, left out? No.
“Would I want to see David Willey, who I am close friends with and he gives you a left-arm option, left out? No.
“Would I want to see Chris Woakes, who I am really good friends with and has taken loads of wickets, left out? No. Or Tom Curran, who has bowled well.
“I wouldn’t want to be a selector because it’s a hard choice.”
The 15-man squad England name tomorrow is just for marketing purposes.
They will then pick a 17-man party for a one-off 50-over game in Ireland and five matches with Pakistan.
That will definitely include Archer, who qualified for England last month and is playing in the same IPL team as Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler.
WOOD WORRIED
And Wood would rather the Sussex star be brought in if he impresses in those games, rather than be selected straight away.
He said: “It would probably be easier where you pick the same squad and you add Jofra in later, rather than adding Jofra into the original squad and leaving someone out.
“Because if you look at Jofra in the Pakistan stuff and he doesn’t do as well as you think, then you add someone back in that you have left out, it will be very hard for people to turn it around.
“So you can pick Jofra in the Pakistan series and say, ‘Right, let’s see how he gets on in the dynamic’.
“There is also one factor that is going to help it and that’s injuries.
“Before a big tournament, someone always gets injured. It’s probably going to me!”
Wood’s own place should be secure having been England’s leading wicket-taker across all formats on the recent Caribbean tour.
But he admitted: “I might not be in the squad myself.
“If it was picked straight after the West Indies, I would think I’ve got a great chance.
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“The way I felt at the end of the Caribbean tour, it’s almost like I wish the World Cup was the week after the tour. I felt on top of the world.
“I put in the performances that I wanted and felt I should have given for two or three years.
“The whole tour was how I felt I should have been for England for a while.
“So to finally show it was a massive relief, a weight off my shoulders.
“It was a nice little two fingers up to some people who doubted me.
“But because we’ve got a little bit of time before the Pakistan series, what happens if I get whacked all over?
“Then all of a sudden, people are saying, ‘Wood doesn’t look in great form’. Things can change so quickly.”
