ICC World Cup 2019 | There are more deserving players than the number of places in squad, says Ed Smith

Following the announcement of England’s final 15-man squad earlier today, chief selector Ed Smith spoke at length about the rationale behind it. Since announcing the provisional squad a month back, Alex Hales has been replaced by batsman James Vince after the former was suspended for off-field issues, while David Willey saw himself getting replaced by Jofra Archer and Joe Denly’s spot being taken by bowling all-rounder Liam Dawson.

"David Willey has been a very big part of the one-day side that has had such a good run and it was a really tough call but someone had to miss out. David could easily have been in this World Cup squad, he deserves to be but that's sport sometimes there are more deserving players than there are places in the squad. It was a very difficult decision. I think the situation we were in as a selection panel and in conversation with the captain we had more players we wanted to pick then we were allowed to,” Smith told Sky Sports.

"It was a very difficult decision. I think the situation we were in as a selection panel and in conversation with the captain we had more players we wanted to pick then we were allowed to,” he quoted.

Jofra Archer, on the other hand, has very quickly ascended the ladder of fame in recent times. He first rose to fame after consistent performances in the Big Bash League for Hobart Hurricanes, which caught the attention of the IPL scouts where he was contracted by the Rajasthan Royals. He ended the tournament with an impressive haul of 15 wickets. Even though he was left out of the provisional English squad, he made a mark in the recent series with Pakistan, taking 4 wickets in 3 games and was very economical, earning himself a call up to the big event.

"Clearly it will not affect team spirit. We've seen Jofra Archer play for England in the last few weeks against Pakistan, we've seen the skills and quality he has and seen the team perform with Archer in the squad - the success of the team carried on and I don't see that changing.

Having represented the West Indies in the U-19 category, an injury meant Archer soon fell out of favour which caused him to make the switch to England. He has a beautiful wrist position and an effortless run up, while consistently hitting the 140 kph mark. Not only does he seem to be able to bowl the yorker at will, he has also learnt the art of bowling in the slog overs, a key factor in the white ball formats of the game.

Having got his first call up in 2009, Joe Denly spent a decade in the periphery before finally being picked again for the national team in 2018 against Sri Lanka. Since then, he has become a trustworthy leg-spinner for the team and has impressed on many occasions, including a four wicket haul in his comeback match. Dawson, on the hand, made his debut in 2016 and though he has been axed from Tests, he has had some good showings in the shorter format and been a part of the team consistently.

“It was a difficult balance, it could have gone either way. Liam Dawson was always in contention, he was in the team in Sri Lanka and then a side injury forced him. Denly came in and stayed in even with limited opportunities he has had,” Smith said addressing the issue.