'Excited about joining England' – Archer makes bittersweet IPL exit

A lot of the talk surrounding Archer and his claim to a spot in the England side for the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2019 has been to do with his bowling skills, but, as he showed against Kolkata Knight Riders on Thursday, 25 April, his batting can be an asset too.

When he walked out to bat, Rajasthan had required 53 off 28 balls. But Archer smashed a rapid 12-ball 27* and, along with the young Riyan Parag (47 off 31), closed out a tense chase with four balls to spare. Archer had earlier bowled well too, conceding just 28 runs from his four overs, although he didn't pick up a wicket.

It was Archer's last match in the IPL this season as he will now head back to England for a preparatory camp. Archer, who qualified to play for England only recently, hasn't been named in England's squad for the World Cup, but will still get a chance to stake his claim if he does well in his maiden England assignments, against Pakistan and Ireland.

"I feel really excited [about joining England] ... A bit gutted I do have to leave the boys," he said in the post-match presentation. "Moments like these is when you cherish playing for Rajasthan."

Archer has built himself an almost irresistible profile through strong performances in T20 leagues across the globe – part of the reason he is being considered so strongly for England's World Cup squad, even though he has no international experience. He expressed his gratitude to Rajasthan for giving him a platform.

"Obviously, not playing any international cricket, they took a really big risk having me, as opposed to somebody who's played 50 or 60 international games, so I'm really grateful for Rajasthan."

Archer could likely make his England debut in the only ODI against Ireland in Dublin on 3 May.