He may have been all but pigeon-holed as a 20-over
specialist but, having done everything he could to thrust his name to the
forefront of selectors' minds in England's opening T20I win over West Indies,
Chris Jordan hopes his ODI World Cup ship has not sailed.
With the T20 World Cup more than 18 months away, the
three-match T20I series in the Caribbean represents little more than bonus
entertainment for a fan base already spoiled by the excitement of the preceding
three Tests and four ODIs, and a chance for both nations to hone their thinking
about the ODI World Cup starting at the end of May - West Indies have even
retained their ODI squad and captain for the T20I series.
Jordan has not played an ODI in more than two years and his
latest feats did come in the shorter format, but they reminded interested
onlookers of his value with the ball and in the field.
For his part, Jordan said it was all about
"enjoyment" and it was easy to see why. He removed Chris Gayle
cheaply for the first time since the ODI Player of the Series returned to the
fold for West Indies' limited-overs campaigns against England, and dismissed
Darren Bravo with a brilliant a caught-and-bowled to finish with 2-16 off three
overs.
"The Caribbean is a lovely place to play cricket, my
family will be here watching most games, just enjoy it and let results take
care of themselves," the Barbadian-born Jordan said, adding that he
remained hopeful of securing a World Cup berth. "I hope the ship hasn't
sailed. I can't get too far ahead in my thinking, I'm not that type of
character. One game at a time and let the outcomes take care of
themselves."
Jordan revealed he had spoken about his one-day prospects
with national selector Ed Smith.
"I've had conversations with Ed when squads are being
picked and he's always said I'm there or thereabouts, in the discussions,"
Jordan said. "That gives me encouragement. T20 cricket is what I'm
involved with at the minute, anything past that I'll leave to the selectors and
the captain."
Jordan was also hoping for the best for Jofra Archer, who
was also born in Barbados and is expected to qualify for England under ECB
residency rules in time for the World Cup, should he be selected.
"I speak to him every day, literally every day, he's
like my little brother," Jordan said of 23-year-old Archer. "One of
the things I admire about Jofra, for a kid so young he's got a good head on his
shoulders. There is noise about him potentially playing in the series... if it
happens I'm more than certain he'll rise to the occasion because he's that type
of person and that type of character."
Jordan said he continued to work hard on his bowling and
fielding, which was sharply in focus when he tempted Bravo with a newly
developed slower ball and then changed direction on his follow through to take
that spectacular one-handed catch sprawling to his right.
"That was good," Jordan said. "When I bowled
the slower ball initially I wasn't sure if I was getting there. Then, the
closer I got I realised I was getting there and it stuck in my hand.
"Not many catches are that easy, to be honest, you see
them go down in games. You try to practice as much as possible, practice slip
catching and outfield catching and when you get into game time when moments
like that come you've almost played it over in your head already. I'm just glad
it came off. I pride myself on my fielding in general. I do work hard on
it."
And of the slower ball, he said: "Yeah, I have been
adding a couple of slower balls to my arsenal. I don't want to give away too
much on it given I got a wicket with it, but it's a new one."
Jordan had no qualms about not bowling at the death in the
T20I series opener, which England won by four wickets with seven balls
remaining. That role went to Tom Curran, who ended the match as the pick of the
England bowlers, claiming 4-36 off his four overs.
"It's normally my role in the team, one or two (overs)
in the Powerplay and two at the death, but my role is also to adapt and be
versatile, be ready whenever the captain calls on me," Jordan said.
"TC did a brilliant job, took four wickets and bowled a brilliant last
over, but next time it might be me. That's the type of team we're in, we're not
selfish characters and we just keep everyone improving.
Chris Jordan, England's forgotten World Cup option?
While all the talk in recent months has been of Jofra
Archer's chances of forcing his way into England's World Cup squad, there is
another Barbadian-born bowler who might be worth further consideration.
Chris Jordan has not played an ODI since September 2016. He
does not bowl quite as fast as Archer and, aged 30, does not possess quite the
same amount of long-term promise as his 23-year-old protégé.
But, as he showed in the first T20I of the series against
West Indies, Jordan remains a highly skilled and experienced cricketer who
might just be at the peak of his powers.
His key contribution in this game was taking the wicket of
Chris Gayle. That was a feat that proved beyond his England colleagues for much
of the ODI series (to be fair, they dismissed him in every innings but not
before he had thrashed them into the stands a few times) and the manner in
which he did so - a well-directed yorker just wide of off stump - suggested he
had some skills which could prove valuable. Remember, England's seamers
appeared either reluctant or unable to bowl the delivery on demand in the ODI
series so Jordan's demonstration may have been timely. He had also hurried
Gayle with a well-directed bouncer.
But the wicket of Darren Bravo was just as impressive. So
bamboozled by Jordan's well-disguised slower delivery was Bravo, an experienced
player, that he could only spoon the ball into the air. Jordan, demonstrating
another part of his game that might give him an edge, made good ground and
clung on to a one-handed diving catch. It was a reminder, if any were required,
that he may be the best fielder available to England. Having such a man in the squad
- even if they don't make the XI - must be useful.
In all, he delivered 10 dot balls from the 18 he bowled. He
was hit for two boundaries; both from the hugely talented Nicholas Pooran.
It's perhaps worth comparing Jordan's performance with some
of his apparent rivals for a spot in the World Cup squad. David Willey used the
new ball well here, generating just enough movement to prevent Gayle from
sizing him up, and came in at No. 7 to see England over the line. He didn't
bowl after the third over of the innings, though, and by then Gayle had struck
two of his final four deliveries for six.
What can we read into that? Perhaps that, unless Willey
takes one of the new balls, he is of limited use to the ODI side. He rarely
bowls at the death and only twice in his last 25 ODIs has he delivered his full
allocation of 10 overs. One of those occasions was in the defeat to Scotland in
which he conceded 72.
And while his left-arm variation would be welcome, it seems
unlikely he will dispossess the likes of Chris Woakes, Mark Wood and, perhaps,
Archer in the tussle for that new-ball role.
Might it be relevant that Jordan didn't bowl at the death?
Could it be that he was instead being given an opportunity to show what he
could do in the middle-over period (he bowled the fourth, sixth and 14th overs)
in which Liam Plunkett has been so proficient in recent years?
It's possible. Plunkett does seem to be in gentle decline
and was England's most expensive bowler here. It would make sense if England
were at least mindful of the need to consider alternatives, though it would be
a surprise if he didn't make the squad.
It seems more likely that England simply had more trust in
Tom Curran than Jordan at the death and view him as the more likely part of
their World Cup plans. Eoin Morgan, the captain, later explained that, with
Pooran recently dismissed, Curran's slower balls to a pair of new batsmen were
simply the better option available to him.
Curran ended up with four wickets, too, as reward for his
control and variations. Plunkett and Jordan do not offer quite the same package
of skills, either, with Plunkett's height and back-of-a-length cutters having a
proven track record. Jordan's variations are impressive, though, and he
probably could offer England options in all portions of an ODI innings.
We probably have to be careful about making assumptions
regarding ODI suitability from a T20 match. Jordan bowled only three overs,
after all. But some of the skills - the control, the variation, the ability to
perform under pressure - are clearly transferable.
It's certainly not a simple case of Archer and Jordan
competing for one place in the World Cup squad. There could, in theory, be room
for both or indeed, neither. As things stand, England are considering the likes
of Liam Dawson and Joe Denly as spin-bowling all-rounder.
But is there really any need for a third spinner in a 15-man
squad? With Joe Root capable of supporting Adil Rashid - who bowled beautifully
here and would not have conceded a boundary had Curran not made a fearful hash
on the fence - and Moeen Ali in the spin bowling positions and Alex Hales
having the batting reserve spot all sewn up, it is a position that could
instead go to another seamer. Jordan remains an outsider for that spot, but he
didn't do himself any harm here.
