Jofra Archer expected to make England debut in 2019 after ECB rule change makes all-rounder eligible from January

The Barbados-born all-rounder is almost certain to be included in the touring squad to visit the Caribbean in early 2019 if he can qualify in time, and Archer now has a chance of playing in the World Cup and Ashes

Jofra Archer is expected to be called up by England (Getty)

The ECB has opened the door for Jofra Archer to become an England player in 2019, with the talented all-rounder admitting he "would love to debut" in front of his family in the West Indies this winter.

Archer, 23, was born in Barbados and under the existing qualification criteria would have had to wait until the winter of 2022 before being eligible for England because he moved to the UK after turning 18, though he told The Independent this summer that he hoped rules would change.

The Sussex star, who has also shone in the IPL and around the world in T20 cricket, arrived in the UK in 2015 but the eligibility requirements for those moving to the UK at over 18 years old meant he was sitting out a seven-year wait for a shot at representing England. The ECB's announcement on Thursday morning that the residency requirements had been slashed to three years means that Archer will be eligible from early 2019.

Archer has been a stand-out performer in the shorter forms (Getty)

If the paperwork can be done in time, Archer will almost certainly be included in England's ODI and T20 squad to tour the Caribbean, with five 50-over encounters and three shorter-form games scheduled for February and March.

The all-rounder tweeted on Thursday that his dream would be to be included in the Test squad, meaning a potential debut on the island he was born, Barbados, in the first Test on January 23rd.

But with Archer contractually tied to overseas T20 competitions this winter, he may have to wait until March to become fully eligible to play for England.

With England already favourites for the World Cup, the potential addition of Archer's firepower with the bat and wicket-taking ability with the ball further strengthens the hosts' chances of glory on home soil.

In a statement announcing the eligibility changes, the ECB stated that its objective was to "bring the ECB regulations closer to those of the ICC" after the international governing body's own rules had changed earlier in 2018.

"The new ECB eligibility criteria for players, both men and women, from 1 January 2019, are:

a) British Citizenship and,

b) Either born in England/Wales, or three years residence (a total of 210 days/year April-March) and

c) Not played as a local player in professional international or domestic cricket in a Full Member country within the last three years."

Archer will not complete the 210 days in the UK required for his third year until towards the end of the limited-overs tour of the Caribbean.