Jofra Archer will be available for England from January

The versatile Sussex player, Jofra Archer, will be available for England starting in January, after the England and Wales cricket board has changed its eligibility rules.

The amendment of the qualification criteria was approved by the ECB's Management Board at a meeting held on Wednesday with the entry into force of the new requirements applicable to men and women on 1 January 2019 These provisions include a three-year residency provision, reduced from the previous level. seven years, for players who are not born in England or Wales.

That means that Archer, one of the most dynamic and promising players in the game, will be available to England early next year and could be part of the team. Anglo-Saxon team for the Caribbean tour in February. After the announcement, he tweeted: "It can happen or not happen, but I'd like to debut in front of my family."

According to previous rules, Archer, 23, born in Barbados but carrying a British passport, would have been available only in the winter of 2022 as he had arrived in England after the 18 years old and was to serve the seven-year residence provision.

The ECB said the decision was made to bring their regulations in line with the ICC's criteria and to ensure a level playing field for the various actors concerned by the previous regulations. It is now possible to include Archer in the England World Cup team next year, which will add considerably to the talent they have.

The new ECB eligibility criteria for male and female players, as of 1 January 2019, are as follows:

(a) British citizenship and,

(b) was born in England / Wales or 3 years of residence (a total of 210 days / year from April to March) and

c) Not having played as a local international or national professional cricket player in a full member country in the last 3 years

In comparison, the current ICC eligibility criteria for all players are:

a) British citizenship; or

b) Born in England / Wales; or

c) 3 years of residence (on a continuous basis) and not having played for another full member country in the last 3 years

The ECB's eligibility criteria for male players were as follows:

a) British citizenship; and

(b) was born in England / Wales, or 7 years old if she leaves a full member county and arrives after 18, or 4 years if she leaves an associate member county or arrives before 18 ( residence = 210 days / year April-March); and

c) Do not play as a local player in international or national professional cricket in a full member country within 4/7 years