Chris Jordan admits a place in England's World Cup squad was not even on his radar a few weeks ago but is ready to take his unexpected chance with a smile on his face.
Jordan has not played one-day cricket for England in over two-and-a-half years but consistently impressive performances in the Twenty20 format have forced open the door to this summer's tournament.
The 30-year-old was not named in the provisional 15-man squad earlier this month but both he and Jofra Archer – his fellow Barbadian, Sussex team-mate and 'little brother' – have been invited to make their case before the list in finalised on May 23.
The pair will be present when England's 17 hopefuls meet up for a four-day camp in Cardiff on Saturday and are available for the next seven fixtures – a one-off visit to Ireland followed by a T20 and five ODIs versus Pakistan.
The uncapped and recently qualified Archer has dominated much of the conversation thus far but if Jordan can replicate the excellent form he showed against the West Indies earlier this year, both as a seamer and arguably the country's sharpest fielder, he may also present an irresistible case to Ed Smith's panel.
Simply having the chance is a victory of sorts though, having been overlooked in 50-over cricket since winning his 31st cap in September 2016.
It is Jordan's fate, at least for the time being, to be asked about Archer wherever he goes but only because of the closeness of the bond they share.
For a long time it looked as though their England careers would never overlap, but once residency rules were cut from seven years to four a dream scenario became possible. In Malahide, on May 3, might an Irish batsman be dismissed caught Jordan, bowled Archer?
"I reckon that would be the pinnacle, if that ends up being his first wicket. It would be the highlight of my career," he added.
"I've been on his journey every step of the way and it would be a really proud moment if we could play together for England. It's hard to put it into words because he's like my little brother."
