Willey on his exclusion from the 2019 World Cup: “I thought my England career was over”

David Willey, an all-around bowler for England, has said that he felt conflicted feelings the day his country won the 2019 World Cup at home. Jofra Archer, who had just been available for selection, had to replace Willey after being initially selected in the preliminary squad.

Before the third ODI against New Zealand, Willey remarked, “I’d been a huge part of that from 2015 to that World Cup, so there were mixed emotions the day they won it. “Obviously, I was happy for the guys, but it hurt. I probably would have given my left arm to take part in that. Anything that occurs to me in cricket going forward, in my opinion, won’t be quite as horrible as that. I believe that will be a challenging but excellent experience for me to have as my gaming career progresses and whatever I do afterward. Hopefully, it will help me in other aspects of my life.

Willey, who is now 33, also stated that following that omission, he believed his international cricket career was gone. He acknowledged, “If it weren’t for Covid, I probably thought that my England career was done.” For the Test matches in Manchester and the one-day matches in Southampton, “they selected the two squads (to remain in bubbles).”

Since that time, Willey has made a commendable recovery and, although not playing, was a member of the team that won the T20 World Cup in 2017.

The left-arm bowler, who was selected for England’s preliminary team for their title defence, will now almost certainly get a crack in the ODI World Cup as well. But after participating in England’s practise at the Kia Oval on Tuesday, September 12, Archer is once more in the spotlight.

Willey would hope he doesn’t have to give up his spot in case of a last-minute twist because the pacer, who has been injured frequently over the past two years, was named a travelling reserve for the World Cup. Willey said of Archer, “He looks in a good place.” “I don’t know where he is in terms of fitness, but he was bowling well today. Everyone is aware of his skill level, potential, and ability to influence games. Being close to being fit or not far from being fit is great news for him.

“Things change, and if they change for me, it won’t be anything new for me. I’m going to go out there and give it my all while attempting to win cricket matches for England. Who gets on the plane is not my decision to make.