WORCESTER'S Simon Archer and Andrew Smith were today named in England's World Badminton Championship squad after being awarded wild cards by the host nation.

The other three wild cards for the World Championships at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham (May 12-18) go to Jill Pittard in women's singles, Peter Jeffrey and Julian Robertson in men's doubles, and Gail Emms & Donna Kellogg in women's doubles.

Archer, the Olympic bronze and Commonwealth gold medallist, gets his wild card in the mixed doubles with his new Scottish partner, Kirsteen McEwan.

Eighteen-year-old Smith comes in to the squad in the men's singles at the expense of his practice partner Mark Burgess, who plays in the Sudirman Cup in Eindhoven from March 18-23.

England performance director Finn Traerup-Hansen's said: "We are using Simon for just one event in the World Championships and we are still working on strengthening his knee.

"He had a small setback in November and we need to build up the strength again and perhaps should not have played in the BMW Open in Saarbruecken when he and Kirsteen reached the semi-finals in their first event together and Simon won the men's doubles with Flandi Limpele.

"If there is a major and rapid improvement in the next few days there is still scope to call him up for the Sudirman Cup.

"It would be good to have his experience in the squad."