Eoin Morgan, the England skipper, lavished praise on debutant Jofra Archer after their seven-wicket victory over Pakistan in the one-off T20I in Cardiff.
Archer, who became eligible to represent England in March, has enjoyed reasonable success with the national side in his two games so far. After making his ODI debut against Ireland in Dublin last week, the 24-year-old donned the red T20 colours against Pakistan on Sunday, May 5.
Archer impressed against the No.1 T20I side in the world, returning 2-29 in his four-over spell. He changed the game in a single over, dismissing the well-set Haris Sohail for 50 and running out Babar Azam for 65 in a space of three balls.
[caption id=”attachment_90659″ align=”alignnone” width=”800″] Morgan scored an unbeaten 57 to steer England past the 174-run target[/caption]
Morgan is satisfied with Archer’s returns at the international level so far. “Jofra came in and showed improvement from the game against Ireland,” he told BBC’s Test Match Special podcast. “He is very calm and calculated. His skill level is very high.
“Jofra is a cool guy, he’s blended in really well in the changing room. It will take time for him to gather experience but the raw attributes are there.”
BREAKING: Alex Hales has been removed from England's #CWC19 squad, and their squads to face Ireland and Pakistanhttps://t.co/yw2ZLlcbQ8
— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) April 29, 2019
Morgan himself performed well, notching up a 29-ball 57* to take his side past the 174-run target with four balls to spare. The England skipper believes these tight games against Ireland and Pakistan will only help his side prepare better for the impending World Cup.
[breakout id=”0″][/breakout]
“Two close matches is great practice for us (going into a World Cup),” he told Sky Sports. “I think the guys are learning from this as we go on. They were two different challenges in the space of three days.
“Given we have a fixture here in Cardiff during the World Cup it is very important that we get back into the habit of knowing the dimensions of the ground, feeling comfortable with either chasing or setting and getting our plans right when we are bowling.”