CWI CEO hits ECB poaching for six

CHIEF Executive Officer of Cricket West Indies, Johnny Grave, has hit out at the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) for poaching promising all-rounder Jofra Archer from the West Indies. Archer was initially slated to be eligible for an England debut in 2022 when he would be 27, but the ECB has amended its criteria which now means he could debut for them in next year’s Cricket World Cup and the Ashes.

However, Grave has chided the manner of the ECB’s actions and the overall process to have Archer play for them. “We respect Jofra’s decision, the rules allow him to (switch country). But on a personal level, and as an Englishman, I don’t like the concept of the ECB poaching players who have been part of another system up to the age of 19,” Grave said to England’s Guardian.

Despite having come through the Barbados youth setup and having played Under-19 cricket for the Windies, Archer’s omission from the U19 World Cup in 2014 led to him becoming disenfranchised with Caribbean cricket, and on the advice of fellow Bajan, Chris Jordan, he moved to the UK the next summer. Archer played league cricket for both Middleton and Horsham before cracking the first team at Sussex in 2016, linking up with Jordan, and gaining favour with the English media.

Archer has rebuffed attempts by the Windies to recruit him, instead opting to wait to live his “dream” with England. Grave still thinks the ECB moved opportunistic in their recruitment and is cautious about them mining more regional talent. “I hope no other West Indian cricketers follow that path and hope it doesn’t lead to counties doing their talent ID in the Caribbean, taking our players into the public school system and then on to offering them lucrative long-term county contracts and then possibly on to playing for England,” he continued.

Archer holds a British passport through his English father, and arrived in the UK in 2015. While he’s currently playing T10 cricket in the UAE, if Archer reduces or foregoes his appearance in December’s Big Bash T20 tournament in Australia, he may actually debut earlier than expected, according to the new ECB criteria, in England’s tour of the West Indies in January. Archer has said it would be a dream to debut on home soil, as England do have matches carded in Barbados for their Caribbean visit, but it all depends on how the hard-hitting all-rounder chooses his T20 path. He has become a hot prospect in the format, signing for Rajasthan Royals in the last IPL, with many comparing his pace bowling and slogging to that of Andre Russell and Ben Stokes.