The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has updated its eligibility regulations and it could be good news for Jofra Archer, who will be available for selection for the national team in January.
Following a meeting at Lord's this week, the ECB announced that players wishing to play for England need only three years' residence - down from seven previously for those moving after their 18th birthday - with the changes coming into effect in the new year.
And the new criteria mean Barbados-born Archer, who moved to Sussex in 2015 and debuted for the county a year later, will become eligible from 2019.
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The 23-year-old bowling all-rounder represented West Indies at youth level, but could make his bow for his adopted country on the isle of his birth, with England's tour of three Tests, five ODIs and three Twenty20s set to get under way in Barbados on January 23.
Reacting to the news on Twitter after sharing a post that reported his availability, Archer wrote: "It may or may not happen but I would love to debut in front of my family."
In addition to England's Caribbean tour, Archer will come into contention for the Cricket World Cup and the Ashes in a huge year for the national team.
Archer has starred in all formats for Sussex, while also establishing himself as a top performer on the Twenty20 circuit, featuring for Hobart Hurricanes in the Big Bash League and Rajasthan Royals in the IPL.
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