Jofra Archer to travel with England's World Cup squad as reserve

Jofra Archer is set to accompany the England squad to the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup in India as a reserve while continuing his fitness regimen.

Archer had been excluded from England's final 15-player World Cup squad announced on Sunday due to an ongoing elbow injury.

England's national selector, Luke Wright, confirmed on Monday that the pace bowler would travel with the squad as a reserve. Wright stated, "Jofra Archer will be travelling with the squad to India. He is one of the reserves, but we also need to look after him and focus on his rehabilitation."

In a subsequent update, it was revealed that Joe Root had expressed his desire to participate in the first ODI against Ireland at Headingley on Wednesday and had been added to the squad.

On Sunday, England's final World Cup squad included Harry Brook, while Jason Roy missed out on selection. Roy's position had come into question after suffering back spasms that prevented him from participating in the series victory over New Zealand.

Wright noted that Roy had fallen victim to the "ruthless side of sport" when he was not included in England's final squad. He elaborated, saying, "It's not a decision we've taken lightly. Initially, we had him down as an opener alongside Jonny Bairstow in the World Cup...but in sport, unforeseen circumstances and injuries can occur. Everyone was informed that 'this is the 15 we intend to take to the World Cup,' but unfortunately, this is the harsh reality of sports, where changes sometimes become necessary."

For Roy, this marks the second consecutive year of disappointment leading up to a major tournament. Last September, he was dropped from the T20I squad after a dismal run of form.  England then went on to win the World Cup in Australia.

Squad:

Jos Buttler (c), Moeen Ali, Gus Atkinson, Jonny Bairstow, Harry Brook, Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Reece Topley, David Willey, Mark Wood, Chris Woakes.