Four years on from World Cup glory at Lord’s, England travel to India in an attempt to win two in a row. Already T20 champions, this would mark the next step in England’s evolving white ball dynasty.
Who’s In The Team?
Jos Buttler (captain)
Moeen Ali
Gus Atkinson
Jonny Bairstow
Harry Brook
Sam Curran
Liam Livingstone
Dawid Malan
Adil Rashid
Joe Root
Ben Stokes
Reece Topley
David Willey
Chris Woakes
Mark Wood
What’s The Story?
In any sporting tournament, a special amount of attention is reserved for the reigning champions. As the current holders of the 50 Over World Cup, the natural story is whether or not England have what it takes to do it again.
Beyond that though, this a continuation of a tale that has been brewing since Eoin Morgan revolutionised the team in 2015. In wholeheartedly adopting a fearless and attacking style, England have attempted to change the nature of ODI cricket. By the skin of their teeth this translated to victory in 2019. In one of the tightest and most memorable games in cricketing history, England managed to defeat New Zealand.
To do it once is impressive, but England’s revolution has much bigger ambitions. The changes started under Eoin Morgan were not done so with the intention of winning one thing and one thing only, the goal was to turn England into a white ball superpower.
2023 presents the chance to cement this era as the era of England. In his first tournament as captain, Jos Buttler took England to the top of the mountain in T20 cricket. If Buttler were to lead England to glory again it would make for one of the most prolific starts to a captaincy of recent memory. England have their eyes on creating a legacy.
Strengths
Jos The Boss:
It is no secret that one of England’s greatest strengths is the captain himself, Jos Buttler. A once in a generation player, Buttler’s record speaks for itself. In ODIs his average sits at 41.57, made even more impressive by the strike rate of 118 these runs come at.
Often in white ball cricket you can place batters into one of two varieties. Scores runs consistently at a solid pace, or scores runs rapidly with hot and cold spells. The magic of Jos Buttler is the ability to marry reliable run-scoring with a blistering tempo.
Where England get the greatest benefit though, is the role in which Jos Buttler functions. Plenty of teams have openers capable of pushing the run rate, but struggle to keep this up outside of the first ten overs. As a player exclusively batting in the middle order (most regularly now at number 5), Buttler can reinvigorate an innings that has started to drag.
Similarly, he has the technique and mental strength to steady the ship when necessary. It would be a disservice to describe Buttler only in terms of his hitting ability, one of his most impressive attributes is his cricketing brain. On tough batting surfaces Buttler has a strong track record at hanging in there and cashing in later; his century on a sticky Sharjah pitch in 2021 makes for as fine an example as any.
England have one of the most unique cricketers of all time at the heart of their team. If Jos Buttler carries his current form into the World Cup he makes for an ominous player to face.
Strong Supporting Cast:
A fair criticism of England’s T20 team in recent years has been their overreliance on Buttler. Where the ODI team differs is the number of players capable of winning matches themselves recently. Three stand out on recent form. These are Dawid Malan, Ben Stokes, and Liam Livingstone.
Dawid Malan may well be the most in form top order batter in the entire 50 Over game right now. In 2023 he’s racked up 3 centuries across 3 countries, at a staggering average of 73. With plenty of fair criticisms over his strike rate in T20s, Malan has found the perfect balance in ODIs.
What stands out about Malan right now is how untroubled his innings look. Across the New Zealand series he made international cricket look like a frighteningly easy affair. Give him width and he’ll find the rope, bowl at his pads and he’ll take the single. Over three countries he has been sensational, the only thing that remains to be seen is if India throws up any surprises for his game. Expect to see him tested with a bit more spin early on.
It is quite hard to find words to describe Ben Stokes that have not already been used a thousand times. Stokes has a level of his game that for most is pure fantasy. His record-breaking 182 was Stokes at his brutal best, clubbing the ball in any given direction.
Unfortunately for England though, this is not the all-rounder whose bowling proved so useful in 2019. Ben Stokes for now is a specialist batter, the fact he uncontroversially warrants a space in the team perhaps the greatest testament to his ability of all.
Liam Livingstone has enjoyed a remarkably quick turnaround in terms of public perception this last week or so. For a while there were question marks over his spot in the team, namely relating to the fact his appearances can only be described as cameos in their nature.
With a daring 95*, he gave the cricketing world a reminder of just what kind of player he is. Power like Livingstone’s does not come around often. With hands faster than your eyes can perceive, Livingstone’s whip like shots were finally starting to find the mark again.
An in-form Livingstone transforms the nature of England’s batting order. When struggling for runs in T20 cricket, the concern was that England were relying on a player too volatile to finish off an innings. With a healthy ODI record, Livingstone inspires much more confidence than he is often given credit for. Do not be shocked to see him leave his mark on plenty of games this World Cup
A Balanced Pace Attack:
Away from the world of batting, England have quietly assembled a very impressive pace attack. Much of the focus is often given to what has been lost since 2019, namely the prodigious talent of Jofra Archer and the dirty work done by Liam Plunkett.
In looking at what England don’t have; it would be a mistake to overlook the players available. A potential line up of Chris Woakes, Reece Topley, Mark Wood, and Sam Curran is available.
In terms of new ball bowling, Woakes and Topley make for a very promising pair. A mix of right arm and left arm, they are both capable when it comes to extracting movement out of a white ball. Naturally, England will look to Woakes as the leader of the pace attack.
For a long time now Woakes has earned his moniker of Mr Reliable, and remains a persistent taker of Powerplay wickets. With an experienced partner, the conditions are well set up for Topley to shine. Often blighted by injuries, this tournament gives him a chance to show the world just how good he can be.
On top of strong new ball options, Mark Wood provides pace that no other England player comes close to. In any format Wood can create a shift in the momentum of a game. Capable of bowling over 90mph, the option here for England is an enforcer in the middle overs of a game.
Often players coming in to bat here are looking for spin to hit, England can use Wood to try and hurry them into a mistake. Quite simply a pace attack needs high pace, Wood offers that in spades.
Perhaps most interesting to me is the role of Sam Curran. For many he might not make the team, but I think Curran can be the point of difference in England’s attack. Often described as a ‘bits and pieces’ player, Curran seems to excel when the pressure is on.
In the T20 World Cup he shined as a death bowling option, as well as bowling the hard middle overs. Where I see Curran in the ODI team is as the partnership breaker. When someone is on a tear, I think Buttler throws the ball to Curran and asks him to find the solution. The numbers reflect this. Curran has bowled more overs this year than Woakes or Topley and still has the best average and strike rate.
With a balance of skillsets, England’s fast bowling may be much more potent than many are expecting.
Areas of Concern
Spin:
As with any team, England too have some areas that will come under some investigation. For one, there are some questions related to how they will grapple with the demands created by spin bowling. The nature of a tournament in India is that there will be games and pitches where spin plays a major role. In this department England could find issues going both ways.
Adil Rashid has led England’s spin attack for a considerable amount of time, and is always a reliable figure in the team. Falling to a calf injury against New Zealand, England will be hoping this does not reoccur during the World Cup.
Within the 15-man squad there is no like for like replacement, with the other spinning options being part-timers. Indeed, Moeen Ali and Liam Livingstone are expected to be England’s other spin options. The reality is that both are capable of high-quality spells as well as expensive ones, but neither are ideal for leading the attack in the absence of Rashid.
Where an extra question mark arises is how England’s batters will play conditions like these. Spinning tracks can make it difficult to time the ball, especially when you are looking to play attacking shots. It may be the case that runs come from digging in and doing the ugly work. One factor in England’s success will be their ability to play the pitch in front of them and not the pitch that they want.
Fitness:
On top of the aforementioned Rashid, England’s bowlers do not inspire total confidence when it comes to staying fit for a long tournament. Within the pace attack, Woakes, Topley, and Wood all have their issues.
Over the last few years each of these players has struggled with different injuries, often being sidelined for considerable amounts of time. The squeeze this creates is that England cannot simply pick their best team, but instead have to make sure they’re not placing too much of a strain on their bowlers.
This sentiment has been reflected by the high number of fast bowlers in the squad. On top of these three players, they have also brought Sam Curran, Gus Atkinson, and David Willey.
England occupy an interesting spot in this respect, with most of the other teams dealing with injuries going into it. Right now it is not so much a challenge posed by players being unavailable, but a fear of what happens if the team starts to creak during the tournament.
Batting Form:
Finally, there are some genuine concerns about the batting form of some very key England players. In the expected starting eleven, Jonny Bairstow and Joe Root are both in a run of poor form.
Beyond the low scores themselves, both are struggling to bat with any level of fluency. Against New Zealand it was clear that neither looked comfortable, and if this continues England will be deeply concerned. Given that they make up two-thirds of England’s top 3, the risk is that England keep finding themselves two down early on in matches.
Whilst they do have the personnel to steady a collapse, you quite frankly do not want Stokes and Buttler to have to rebuild every single innings they play. In 2019, Bairstow and Root played such a big role in England’s success due to their ability to get the innings off to a strong start. It is important that they step up when England need them.
Outside the eleven, there is also the 50 Over form of number 1 backup Harry Brook. In the squad over Jason Roy due to a perceived increase in flexibility, Brook is yet to look comfortable in any role.
Having played both as an opener and as a number 4, Brook is yet to crack the flow of an ODI. Most interestingly, Brook’s struggle so far is not that he is overly aggressive, but is instead that he has struggled to cut loose. Where there may be a greater cause for concern is the struggle that Brook found during the IPL in terms of batting in India.
Whilst plenty of attention goes to his impressive century, the reality is that he struggled to get past 20 in the vast majority of the tournament. Right now, England are hoping Brook can get over both hurdles at the same time. As a player it is clear that Brook is supremely talented, but if he plays England need to see something from him that they have not yet.
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