Ben Stokes believes fellow England all-rounder Jofra Archer is “the most naturally gifted” bowler he has seen.

Uncapped Archer has played only 14 one-day matches in his career but is likely to be fast-tracked into England’s World Cup squad, based on his performances in Twenty20 franchise cricket.

Barbados-born fast bowler Archer, 24, qualifies for England through his English father and has a UK passport.

Cumbrian Stokes, who is currently playing for Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League alongside Archer, told The Doosra podcast: “Jofra makes any team better.

“He is the most naturally gifted bowler I’ve seen and I don’t think he realises how good he is.

“Some of the things he can do at the click of a finger are just ‘wow’. It’s pretty special to watch.

“You ask him to do something and he nails it straight away.

“To have somebody at the pace he bowls and the skills he has... the selectors are going to be scratching their heads and it’s a great time to be an England fan and an England player.”

Once the IPL has finished, England will return to the UK for the World Cup which begins on May 30. After that, they will contest a five-Test Ashes series against Australia, which begins on August 1.

But, for now, the focus for Cockermouth’s Stokes and Archer will be on today’s IPL match against Kings XI Punjab (3.30pm start).