If it wasn’t for Rubel Hossain’s spell in Adelaide 2015, England would’ve scraped their way to the quarter-finals and papered over the cracks in their poor one-day system.
Since their unsurprising group exit in 2015 (at least in my opinion), England have rejuvenated their one-day cricket, smashing their way to 350+ totals and never have they ever had a better chance to get the trophy that has eluded them for so long. Here’s the squad that I would choose if I were an England selector.
Batsmen
Jason Roy, Alex Hales, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan
All-rounders
Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Joe Denly
Wicketkeeper
Jos Buttler
Seamers
Tom Curran, Liam Plunkett, Mark Wood, Olly Stone
Spinner
Adil Rashid
Jonny Bairstow has been in outstanding form since he got recalled in the England ODI squad in 2017. He’s been scoring hundreds at a very fast pace and has been instrumental to England’s white ball success.
The other opening slot is a battle between Jason Roy and Alex Hales. Both have been in good form in franchise and ODI cricket and England are blessed to have a solid backup opener regardless of who plays alongside Bairstow.
Root and Morgan are the players who nudge around the middle overs, which allows the rest of their batting line-up to play their natural game.
Stokes has had a dip in form in the IPL and England need him to regain form ASAP. He needs one good game and he’ll be back to himself come World Cup time.
Moeen Ali probably has nightmares from the last World Cup and will want to redeem himself. He will be a dangerous bat at 7 and his off-spin in white ball cricket is way more than handy.
Chris Woakes will be looking for some swing with the new ball and a few lusty blows at 8 with the bat. His fitness is a bit iffy but he’ll be used sparingly before the semis (unless England channel their true Englishness and choke in the group stages).
Joe Denly has suddenly burst into the English scene. He hasn’t played an ODI since 2009, but his form for Kent and his franchise sides have been good enough as a backup all-rounder.
Jos Buttler is good enough to play as a batsman as shown in his 77 ball 150. His keeping is just as good and promoting him up to 5 has done him and England good. Should he be rested or injured, Bairstow will take the gloves.
Liam Plunkett is someone who excites me. He can bowl with the new ball, middle overs and the death. He always keeps his pace consistently between 137-142 kph and will be crucial for England defending totals.
Mark Wood excites me even more. I just hope his knees don’t get as dodgy as Jack Wilshere to see a Pom bowl 145+.
Same could be said for Olly Stone. However, if his form or fitness is in decline, I would pick Sam Curran over Stone.
Tom Curran will be a handy backup seamer and his slower balls and yorkers keep him in the England squad. Not to mention he can bat pretty well.
Adil Rashid is a world-class leg spinner but he needs to have a little bit more control to stop the long hops. Should there be pitches not suited to turn, will be likely that Eoin Morgan’s men will choose just Moeen as the lone spinner during the World Cup.
Neel
Roar Guru
Okay I made a mistake. Sam Curran isn’t in th ODI setup for England. It’s his brother Tom that’s in the ODI setup.
Wes P
Roar Rookie
Brian,and it seems so. His non selection. Most Aussie’s, particularly in BBL 17/18, would’ve thought it a certainly. 18/19 not as good, but still an obviate talent. Interestingly a few current players had concerns, even speaking to media about it! In Aust that’d likely received a fine/reprimand. I find that intriguing. Any comment?
Neel
Roar Guru
Joe Denly isn’t an all-rounder though. However, this is probably the strongest England ODI team ever. They have a lot of depth in the batting, like they could potentially bat all the way down to 10 if they wanted to. In my opinion, Bairstow, Root, Roy, Buttler, Rashid and Sam Curran are going to be the key players for England in this World Cup.
Josh H
Roar Rookie
Fair enough Paul, there's a strong logic to picking both Woakes and Stokes (especially together). As you note, Plunkett is more of a specialist bowler and Hales a specialist batsman, whereas Woakes and Stokes are all-rounders. From a certain point-of-view, what you lose with Stokes' batting (in comparison to Hales) you win back with Woakes' batting (in comparison to Plunkett), and vice-versa with the bowling. Based on England's last few series, your team is more likely to be picked. I guess my theory with the team I chose is there are less bits-and-pieces players and more specialists. Up to personal preference, I suppose.
George
Guest
Pfft. Woakes has been their best ODI seamer since the last WC.
Paul
Roar Guru
Josh, I think the Poms would play both Woakes & Stokes instead of Hales and Plunkett, though this is more because of Woakes batting than his bowling ( his bowling got hammered in the West Indies). Stokes would get a run ahead of Hales because without him, England only has 5 bowlers and only one of these is world class. I agree Hales is a better bat but Stokes bowling is crucial to this side.
Josh H
Roar Rookie
If I were England I'd be lining up like this: Roy Bairstow Hales Root Morgan (c) Buttler (wk) Ali S Curran Plunkett Rashid Wood Woakes and Stokes a bit stiff to miss out, and it seems criminal to pick 2 batsmen-keepers when their best gloveman (Foakes) is sitting on the bench, but that's how cricket goes I guess. Toss of a coin between the Curran boys, I'm going with Sam due to IPL and international form. I'd probably want to include Archer in the squad as well.
Paul
Roar Guru
The England side is fairly predictable and is obviously following the formula Bayliss and co decided to go with 3 years ago, after that WC debacle you mentioned Arnab. IMO, their bowling is a huge Achilles heel. You mentioned Rashid being a world class leggie and on his day in this format, he is for sure. The problem for England is, that's about where the quality stops. Red flags must have been raised after that drawn series in the West Indies, where for example, England scored 418 and the Windies were a fighting chance to pass them, falling short but still making over 389, from the side ranked 9th in ODI cricket. England also had a great chance to close out the series in the 5th game, yet their batting collapsed miserably, handing the game to the Windies. Is that a sign of how they're going to manage pressure, assuming they make the finals. England will be a strong contender for the Cup, no argument but they are far from being certainties. The really good teams will exploit their less than impressive bowling, so it really is up to their batsmen to win it for them.
Brian
Guest
No Joffra Archer? its a wildcard but if you take out Denly or Stone your not losing much. A lot depends on Stokes, he's going to bat 5 and bowl 8-10 overs but I am not sure he's a proper ODI number 5