It's been 44 long years since the first World Cup, and I dont think England has ever entered a World Cup as clear hot favorites. Lets rewind back to the 2015 World Cup in Australia & New Zealand, where England suffered one of their most embarrassing exits without even reaching the knockout stage.
In hindsight had it not been for the humiliating exit in the World Cup 2015, I don't think England would have realized how far behind they are from the rest of the world. So that performance, was virtually a blessing in disguise for them. In the last four years England have really transformed themselves & revolutionized their approach to white ball Cricket under the leadership of Eoin Morgan & coach Trevor Bayliss. This is now England 2.0
So whats been their approach ?! They virtually play 50 overs Cricket like an extended version of T20 Cricket. With a clear attacking mindset & the amount of destruction power in their never ending batting line up, they've been demolishing bowling attacks and made scores of 350 plus in recent times for fun pretty consistently. The only weak link for them has been their bowling attack conceding too many runs & the lack of a reliable wicket taker. Although inexperienced, but I think finally England has an answer to that. Jofra Archer has been phenomenal in the T20 leagues across the globe. It is good to see that England recognized him as a potential game changer & fast tracked his selection process & drafted him into the squad for the mega event.
Likely XI
1) Jason Roy
2) Johnny Bairstow
3) Joe Root
4) Eoin Morgan
5) Ben Stokes
6) Jos Buttler
7) Moeen Ali
8) Chris Woakes
9) Jofra Archer
10) Adil Rashid
11) Mark Wood
Bench
1) James Vince - If any of the top order batsmen are injured, he will be drafted into the playing XI
2) Tom Curran & 3)Liam Plunkett - They could easily play ahead of Mark Wood, depending on how the skipper feels about the conditions
4) Liam Dawson - Reserve Spinning All-rounder for Moeen Ali & Adil Rashid
Verdict - Sure sort Semi Finalists with the best chance to finally get their hands on the trophy.
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