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Can England retain their World Cup title in 2023?

Which is the greater debacle?


  • Total voters
    15

MenInG

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Not been that impressive in the series against Australia but that could be due to post T20 World Cup fatigue.

Looking at their line-up, Ben Stokes the hero of the previous Cup win can play a huge role but he has retired from ODIs so that is a problem for England.

Also something Former England fast bowler Steve Harmison agrees with:

"If Ben Stokes doesn’t come out of retirement, I think someone like Ben Duckett, a left-hander. comes into the equation because of his ability to play spin in India."
 
Michael Vaughan feels England have a good chance:

"The next big ticket is to win the 50 over World Cup in India next year. They have good spin options and you have to put them down as favourites for that tournament as well. When the tournament starts people will have India as favourites on home soil. Utter nonsense. England will be the team to beat without any question and that is going to be the case for a few more years to come

Notably, India were the winners the last time an ODI World Cup was held on their soil back in 2011. But since then, they haven't won any World Cup. Their last ICC trophy was nearly a decade ago in 2013 when MS Dhoni led them to the Champions Trophy title.

"This group of England white ball players is extraordinary and for once English cricket has a trendsetting team the rest of the world should emulate.

"How are England going about their business? What do they do? If I was in charge of Australia I would be all over Mike Hussey, who was a specialist batting coach with England at this tournament and asking what they do behind the scenes. If I was running Indian cricket I would swallow my pride and look at England for inspiration"
 
They can't hit 100 runs against Rashid khan in India. There will be some roads. But not as much as what we had in 2019 world cup where they completely eliminated bowlers threat except in a few matches. Once again it comes down to which surfaces they play their key matches on.
 
:mv is clueless as usual. England wont be outright favourites. Teams like India, Australia should be frontrunner. Then there's Pakistan. These 3 teams are well suited to Indian conditions. NZ and England come next. And then the rest.
 
In the subcontinent I think it will be really tough for England.

Plus only the great West Indies and Australian sides have ever won the Cricket World Cup when they have been holders. It’s a tough trophy to defend.

I think that England will do well to get even to the latter stages here.
 
Without Stokes there line up should be something like the following :

Bairstow
Hales
Root
Malan
Buttler
Livingstone
Ali
Archer
Rashid
Wood

That's a pretty fine line up with Rashid, Livingstone and Ali as spinners. Even Root can bowl.
Batting is also strong, as always.
 
England did play T20 world cup final in India 2016 and Reliance World Cup Final in India 1987.

They were outmanouvered by Sri lanka in 1996 and 2011 world cups in india ( quarter finals).

We can not relly rule England out ( stokes might reconsider his ODI retirement) many English players play in IPL & PSL. Their batting may not suffer but bowling might be an area of concern.

Given that world cup is in India with the might of BCCI & pitches and all, India is the front runner follower by England then Australia and after that Pakistan.

We must also understand it is a league stage world cup like 92/19 so it gives every team good opportunity to bounce back from early set back.
 
England have lost Stokes and Morgan to retirements. So, their chance is lower now.

I think Australia may win it. They are pretty rock solid in ODI format.
 
SA chokers will do well enough to eliminate one threat. They bat well here. IPL has made sure India has zero home advantage. Even West Indies will do some damage here. On their day somebody will lose a crucial match to them.
 
Not outright favourites because of no stokes and Morgan but will still be a quality team. ODI is played every differently from T20s
 
SA chokers will do well enough to eliminate one threat. They bat well here. IPL has made sure India has zero home advantage. Even West Indies will do some damage here. On their day somebody will lose a crucial match to them.

West Indies are minnow these days in ODIs, Zimbabwe are better than them.
 
Stokes will “unretire” from ODIs I think. Buttler will beg him to do so, even if it’s just for 12 months.

Ben has an intangible big match pedigree that the team clearly misses when he is absent. He can play an outstanding innings when the pressure is at its greatest and the sense of occasion is mentally devouring his teammates.
 
England will always be favs in all LOI tournaments. But since the World Cup is played in Asia, teams like India, Pakistan and even Bangladesh become dangerous. Their spinners will come into play which can easily nullify England’s spinners and England’s batsmen will not find it easy in those conditions to play their shots.
 
Stokes just needs to unretire for the knockout matches and he will somehow drag England over the line.
 
It’s possible. People overrate Asian teams in Asia for limited overs cricket.

Last year no Asian team played in the t20 WC final.

Australia have lifted the 1987 WC when it was in Asia.

As I said in another thread, India also have some pace friendly pitches as well depending on how they’re curated.

Also, people are overrating the value of Stokes. England is full of allrounders now. He is world class, and if they can get him to come back, great. But their WC fortunes definitely don’t depend on him alone.

My semi finalists are India, Pakistan, Australia and England.
 
Let us look at the schedule and see whose path is easier. Who is likely to unfortunately run into a strong side early on. Then the venues. The on the match day who wins the toss.
 
Let us look at the schedule and see whose path is easier. Who is likely to unfortunately run into a strong side early on. Then the venues. The on the match day who wins the toss.

Indeed… this is a good post.

Tournament formats often throw up surprises.
 
The dew and therefore the toss can have a huge impact at many Indian grounds correct?

Whereas it's basically a non factor in Australia.

Basically though- with Stokes= yes, strong chance. Without Stokes= back to the pack.
 
They sure can and probably will. This is the team of the generation. Wait till Bairstow comes back to the side and it's an absolute powerhouse on those pitches and ground sizes.
You can never count Aussies out. Pak, Ind can thrive on those pitches but don't see these teams beating Eng unless something drastically changes in these teams.
 
They can't hit 100 runs against Rashid khan in India. There will be some roads. But not as much as what we had in 2019 world cup where they completely eliminated bowlers threat except in a few matches. Once again it comes down to which surfaces they play their key matches on.

2019 WC was played on pretty sporting wickets....it wasn't the typical flat roads we see in bilaterals in Eng
 
The dew and therefore the toss can have a huge impact at many Indian grounds correct?

Whereas it's basically a non factor in Australia.

Basically though- with Stokes= yes, strong chance. Without Stokes= back to the pack.

Yes, dew will be a huge factor in subcontinent in Oct-Nov.

Agree on Stokes, don't see Eng winning without him.
 
Without Stokes there line up should be something like the following :

Bairstow
Hales
Root
Malan
Buttler
Livingstone
Ali
Archer
Rashid
Wood

That's a pretty fine line up with Rashid, Livingstone and Ali as spinners. Even Root can bowl.
Batting is also strong, as always.

Malan isn't that great against spin.
 
England won't win the world cup its going to be between India and Pakistan.
 
Without Stokes there line up should be something like the following :

Bairstow
Hales
Root
Malan
Buttler
Livingstone
Ali
Archer
Rashid
Wood

That's a pretty fine line up with Rashid, Livingstone and Ali as spinners. Even Root can bowl.
Batting is also strong, as always.

Put Malan at 3 and Root at 4.

Instead of Ali, Woakes should be there. He can get the new ball to swing and let Archer and Wood be the enforcers.
 
"Teams Want To Copy Us": Moeen Ali On Much-Talked About England's Template

Star all-rounder Moeen Ali sees nothing wrong in rival teams trying to "copy" the much-talked-about England template in white-ball cricket following their resounding success in global events. With their recent triumph in Australia, England became the first team to hold the ODI and T20 World Cup trophy in the same cycle. Eoin Morgan brought about a radical change in mindset and playing style following England's dismal campaign in the 2015 World Cup and Jos Buttler is carrying forward his legacy.

An important member of the English white-ball team, Moeen feels it is natural for other teams to emulate their aggressive approach to the game. He also drew a parallel with the all- conquering Australian team of the 1990s and early 2000s.

"The template was spoken about long ago. I feel we have become a better team now. Morgs (Morgan) did a brilliant job to change the mindset, which is the hardest part, to put the template there.

"Now we can adapt to different conditions, different teams, use different bowlers in the death and there is flexibility in the batting order. This team is going to get even better," Moeen told PTI on the sidelines of Abu Dhabi T10 League.

On the England template which has become the benchmark in international cricket, the 35-year-old said: "Whenever a team is winning, for example Australia. They used to win all the trophies. Everyone wanted to copy them. Now England have won 50 over and T20 world titles and teams want to copy us."

England had lost to India and South Africa at home earlier this year and Moeen said it was a timely wake-up call for them.

"We played South Africa and India in the summer. They beat us because they were playing the same brand of cricket we were playing.

"So we knew we had to get better and it is a good template to follow. I won't be surprised if other teams follow that template," said Moeen, who is captaining the Morrisville Samp Army here.

'Now even young player can play only two formats'

England had little time to celebrate their T20 World Cup success Down Under as they had an ODI series lined up against Australia three days after the final.

With franchise cricket also growing around the world cricket, the scheduling has become more hectic than ever. Cricketers who play three formats are finding extremely tough to manage their workload, leading to frequent breaks.

"The problem is if you are a young player, you can't play all formats now. Earlier you could. Now people are getting pigeon holed into Test or T20 players. I don't think it is good for them and good for the game.

"In India, Australia and England players get paid quite well but in other countries they don't. So at times they miss out on international cricket for franchise cricket.

"A lot of people say IPL is there (makes calendar more crowded) but IPL is a massive tournament, you can't say that.

"For example a West Indies player rather play in the IPL for money and exposure than (international cricket)." '

Mindset in bilateral rubbers and ICC events is very different'

England had lost to India at home but they gave them a hiding in the World Cup semifinals with a 10-wicket win.

England have won two world titles in the last three years while India await their first ICC trophy since 2013.

Asked about India's inability to win global events while they consistently do well in bilateral cricket: Moeen said: "The pressure is different, we felt a lot of pressure this time as we were desperate to win the trophy.

"We also know the other teams are feeling the same pressure. In a bilateral series, there is a lot to consider and you can rest players.

"When it comes to ICC, there are different venues, the pressure is different. That is where the mindset comes into play.

"If you have the team ethos where you don't worry about getting out, that helps. We played our best cricket against India that day. If you play a certain brand of cricket you will fail but you have to stick with the players as long as you can." On his T10 experience, Moeen added: "T10 is fast, so there is not much time. You have to go hard from ball one and that can help in improving your game."

NDTV
 
England, India, NZ & Australia are the top 4 sides and should be the semi-finalists unless there's upsets.
 
Series loss to South Africa does present some challenges to Buttler and Co but is it time to his panic stations?

==


Is England's form a worry?

Sky Sports Cricket's Nasser Hussain...

"It is a concern but they have gone on to win a T20 World Cup so the talent is there and the schedule has worked against them, with three ODIs against Australia straight after the T20 World Cup.

"There are a lot of good players to come in - Bairstow, Root, maybe Hales - and Archer and Topley are feeling their way back in. They want to be right in time for the World Cup, like golfers do in majors, but these have been two drubbings against South Africa."

lcimg-152d7965-29fa-46bb-9e80-32faa6e222c6.jpg
 
They need to play....

Bairstow
Brook
Root
Malan
Stokes
Buttler
Moeen
Curran
Wood
Rashid
Archer
 
Eng full strength is a damn good team and will be a favourite anywhere.

They often play their B team in bilaterals so results should be taken with a pinch of salt.
 
Bowling is cannon fodder especially in India. Chasing should be comfortable for them. Batting first, they could struggle especially if it grips atleast a little.
 
Resounding no!

England's ODI team is one of the most overrated.

Just look at the last few series, and ODI match results since winning the fluke WC in 2019.
 
Even in last WC when they were a gun team playing at home they still lost to Aus, Pak and SL. They technically tied with NZ. Dhoni & Co decided to play safe otherwise that match could have been interesting as well. In short, Eng are not that great in ODIs.
 
Even in last WC when they were a gun team playing at home they still lost to Aus, Pak and SL. They technically tied with NZ. Dhoni & Co decided to play safe otherwise that match could have been interesting as well. In short, Eng are not that great in ODIs.

This. Since October 23, 2018, they have only bullied Pakistan (7-1) among top sides. All other sides have held their own against England at various times(SL and WI included) . Apart from that, they scraped through on a technicality in their own World Cup.
 
Not overly concerned given we haven't played a game with a full strength team since 2019. Only real issue is that Moeen should've been long gone by now (ideally straight after 2019 to give enough game time to his replacement) but it's probably too late for that now.
 
They are a bit overrated in ODIs. You can’t just smash and bash your way in an ODI with a popgun attack.

Having said that they’re still top 3 favorites. A lot depends on the pitches they play on, and how much the toss matters. Guess that goes for any other team too lol.
 
Their bowling even with Wood and Archer will be weak in those conditions.
Aus - Cummins, Starc, Hazlewood and Zampa
India - Siraj, Shami, Bumrah, Kuldeep, Jadeja
NZ - Boult, Henry, Lockie and Santner
Pakistan - Shaheen, Shadab, Nseem, Harris
SA - Rabada, Nortje, Maharaj

Among these England attack looks very weak.
 
They need to play....

Bairstow
Brook
Root
Malan
Stokes
Buttler
Moeen
Curran
Wood
Rashid
Archer

Roy just hit a century. I would have

Bairstow
Roy
Root
Brook
Hales
Stokes
Buttler
Curran
Wood
Rashid
Stone

Stokes and Root can share fifth bowler duties.

I like Moeen but think he is finished.
 
Roy
Baistrow
Root
Brook
Stokes
Buttler
Moeen Ali
Curran
Wood
Archer
Rashid

Moeen and Stokes 5/6th bowling option.
 
Roy
Baistrow
Root
Brook
Stokes
Buttler
Moeen Ali
Curran
Wood
Archer
Rashid

Moeen and Stokes 5/6th bowling option.

On flat decks this is an ATG team, but the problem for England comes on pitches that don't fit this criteria. India won't be doing them any favours given they are the kings of pitch doctoring.
 
On flat decks this is an ATG team, but the problem for England comes on pitches that don't fit this criteria. India won't be doing them any favours given they are the kings of pitch doctoring.

Even our so called tampered pitches are quality pitches compared to the dross produced by many other countries. Anyway, England don't have the side to win the World Cup regardless of pitches.
 
Roy
Baistrow
Root
Brook
Stokes
Buttler
Moeen Ali
Curran
Wood
Archer
Rashid

Moeen and Stokes 5/6th bowling option.

Is Stokes back playing ODI' for Eng?

Spin attack looks weak. Need better spin option than Moeen Ali. Even Rashid is barely passable.
 
Moeen should be england's 6th bowling option.
Liam Dawson should also be in the squad and play on any raging turners.

Moeen, Curran, Woakes, Wood, Rashid, Archer/Topley will most likely be england's the bowling attack
 
England have been in a rut in ODIs for a couple of years. They deserve it for carrying a certified bottler like Moeen.

He was on a mission to single-handedly to destroy England’s dream of winning the 2019 World Cup.

The only reason they won was because he was booted out of the playing XI. No member of the England squad was less deserving of the winners medal.

The fact that he is still in the team 4 years later shows that England have not learned.
 
England have been in a rut in ODIs for a couple of years. They deserve it for carrying a certified bottler like Moeen.

He was on a mission to single-handedly to destroy England’s dream of winning the 2019 World Cup.

The only reason they won was because he was booted out of the playing XI. No member of the England squad was less deserving of the winners medal.

The fact that he is still in the team 4 years later shows that England have not learned.
What a useless post, par for the course from you.

England are favorites to lift the trophy, only reason they have struggled in ODI cricket is because they have hardly played their first XI in any game recently. Trust them to do better than India, who look a million dollars in bilaterals then proceed to crash and burn in ICC tournaments.
 
What a useless post, par for the course from you.

England are favorites to lift the trophy, only reason they have struggled in ODI cricket is because they have hardly played their first XI in any game recently. Trust them to do better than India, who look a million dollars in bilaterals then proceed to crash and burn in ICC tournaments.
Nothing factually wrong about that post. Moeen is comfortably the worst ODI player they have. Averaging under 20 with the bat since Jan 2018 and mediocre with the ball as well.
 
What a useless post, par for the course from you.

England are favorites to lift the trophy, only reason they have struggled in ODI cricket is because they have hardly played their first XI in any game recently. Trust them to do better than India, who look a million dollars in bilaterals then proceed to crash and burn in ICC tournaments.

Not sure what you are crying about.

Whether England are favorites or not - whether they will do better than India or not - has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that Moeen has been rubbish in ODIs for very long and does not deserve to be in the team.

He is their weak-link and the fact that they have kept him in the team after he stank up the place in the previous World Cup shows that England have not learned anything from that experience.

Moeen is a liability. He has been given a vital role in the ODI team and he has not come close to doing justice to that role.

He is supposed to be an all-rounder but his presence makes both batting and bowling weak at the same time, and his performances in this format over the last four years show that.

1 year is a long time in cricket. You need to continuously improve and evolve because other teams will catch up. It is clear that over the last couple of years, most big teams have caught up with England in this format.

There results have been far from impressive and this first XI excuse is not a legitimate one when you dig deeper into the players that they have played.

England cannot turn up for the 2023 World Cup with the same squad that won the previous World Cup. They need to identify their weak areas and plug them to maximize their chances. The fact that Moeen is still part of the team shows that they have not done that.
 
If Eoin Morgan was captain, I'd say yes. He was one of the greatest white-ball captains of all time.

Right now, it's India's to lose. If they could win the world cup with guys like Munaf Patel and Ashish Nehra, they can certainly win with Bumrah and Siraj in their ranks. However you also need luck to go your way. If the luck is on their side, they will easily win it.
 
They are favorites. They can definitely defend it.

I know they are currently losing in South Africa but they are not playing with their main XI.
 

I don't think this means much anymore to be fair. ODI's have been the least prioritised format and England have a large arsenal of players to want to try out.

They know their best XI comfortably i'd say. The only selection dilemmas they have are good ones, like choosing between Brook or Duckett.
 
Dhoni had a golden chance to kick England out of 2019 world cup in a dead rubber match against India. He failed big time. Well England was destined to win the world cup. Things started falling in place for them. Chasing 337 India ended up with 306/5 lol. He pushed asking rate from 10 to 44 :) They rolled out absolute roads throughout the world cup. They neutralized guys like Rashid Khan (he conceded like 100 rusn), Kuldeep, Chahal. Even with all that conducive pitch preparation they were going to be knocked out at one stage. They are favorites only slightly because of balance of other sides. They have a lot more all rounders which is what missed by other teams.
 
I don't think this means much anymore to be fair. ODI's have been the least prioritised format and England have a large arsenal of players to want to try out.

They know their best XI comfortably i'd say. The only selection dilemmas they have are good ones, like choosing between Brook or Duckett.

I agree.

They are experimenting. They are not playing with their main players.
 
I agree.

They are experimenting. They are not playing with their main players.

Almost all teams are missing a few players here and there. Their philosophy is to outbat opposition. That cannot happen everywhere. On tricky pitches they are not favorites. They were hot favorites in 2021 world T20. What happened. NZ pummelled them by scoring 60 runs in 2.5 overs. 2022 world T20, two toss wins they are winners despite losing to Ireland. 2019 world cup came on the back of pitches that were extremely unhelpful for spinners.
 
If they get whitewashed tomorrow then it will create more pressure.
 
Almost all teams are missing a few players here and there. Their philosophy is to outbat opposition. That cannot happen everywhere. On tricky pitches they are not favorites. They were hot favorites in 2021 world T20. What happened. NZ pummelled them by scoring 60 runs in 2.5 overs. 2022 world T20, two toss wins they are winners despite losing to Ireland. 2019 world cup came on the back of pitches that were extremely unhelpful for spinners.

These are all excuses.

On flat Indian pitches, England have a good chance. Check 2016 World T20.
 
Depending on the tracks they play on. India has over 50 venues. They are not all the same as you think.

I know. But, for ICC events, pitches tend to be good for batting.

I doubt they would throw in a pitch like Lucknow for important games.
 
I know. But, for ICC events, pitches tend to be good for batting.

I doubt they would throw in a pitch like Lucknow for important games.

Don't bet on that. On an unplayable Nagpur turning wicket India shot themselves against NZ in 2016. Chepauk cannot be made flatter even if you want to. We can kind of get an idea once the fixture is announced. England always batted well in last 2 tours against India. But their bowling is cannon fodder in these parts. That is what will decide whether they will be favorites or not.
 
These are all excuses.

On flat Indian pitches, England have a good chance. Check 2016 World T20.

Too many people confusing formats. England's T20 prowess has little to do with the ODI game where England have been found wanting.


Pitches won't be that flat everywhere. And even on flat pitches, England's record is not that great.

Root, Buttler and Roy have been poor since around the last World Cup. Moeen is an absolute minnow level cricketer I this format and Woakes looks a shadow of the new ball merchant he used to be.
 
If there were concerns over England's one-day international form nine months out from them beginning their defence of the Cricket World Cup, Wednesday's win in the final ODI of their three-match series against South Africa went some way towards easing those.

After beginning the new era with Matthew Mott as head coach and Jos Buttler as captain with an expectedly commanding 3-0 sweep of the Netherlands last June, the world champions were beaten 2-1 at home by India and drew 1-1 in a rain-affected series at home to South Africa.

A 3-0 series defeat away to old rivals Australia in the wake of last November's T20 World Cup triumph was almost brushed off given some of the absentees and the fact it came so soon after that triumph, but then going down to defeats in the first two matches of this just-concluded series against South Africa set a few alarm bells ringing.

Even the 59-run win in Kimberley to ensure they were not swept by the Proteas contained some nervy moments as the tourists were reduced to 14-3 at one point and then found themselves under pressure as South Africa chased 347 before Heinrich Klaasen fell for 80.

Buttler and Mott now have just 10 ODIs to prepare the side for the World Cup in India, which gets under way in October. However, Nasser Hussain is impressed with the skipper's focus on being ready for that tournament rather than worrying too much about individual results, particularly with several key players still to return or only just back in the team.

"That's why Jos is so much about building towards that World Cup," Hussain told Sky Sports. "Usually when you've lost five in a row, you're like 'we've got to be better than this', but Jos is a very cool, calm captain that's just saying 'when we've got the gang back together we'll be okay'."

One notable absentee at the top of the batting order remains Jonny Bairstow after suffering a broken leg on a golf course last year, while a knee injury sustained in the Test series win over Pakistan has sidelined big-hitting middle-order batter Liam Livingstone for now as well.

2016 T20 World Cup - Runners-up
2017 Champions Trophy - Semi-finalists
2019 50-over World Cup - Winners
2021 T20 World Cup - Semi-finalists
2022 T20 World Cup - Winners

Joe Root was not involved in South Africa after heading to Dubai to play in the International League T20 to get more exposure to white-ball cricket ahead of the World Cup. Meanwhile, the likes of Alex Hales, James Vince and Phil Salt will aim to press for inclusion this summer.

Bowling-wise, Jofra Archer's return - after being out of international action since March 2021 due to injury - and career-best ODI bowling figures of 6-40 in Wednesday's match provided a huge boost to England's pace options.

Reece Topley was easing himself back into international action against South Africa too after an injury suffered ahead of the T20 World Cup, having come to the fore with 13 wickets in seven ODIs for England last summer, and there remains the question as to whether Test captain and all-round star Ben Stokes will make himself available for the World Cup as well.

"There is so much depth with the batting and players who could come in who are already superstar players like Joe Root," Hussain said.

"There's not as much depth to the bowling, but they have had the worst of the conditions [in South Africa]...and a lot of their bowlers are coming back from injury.

"It's keeping them playing - I think we take that for granted a little bit that bowlers are machines and when they come back they'll be perfect, but they need to get some overs into their legs."

England's white-ball team now prepare to head to Bangladesh for a three-match ODI series at the start of March, with 2019 World Cup runners-up New Zealand and Ireland providing the home opposition in ODIs this summer.

Those matches will offer plenty of opportunities for Mott and Buttler to fine-tune England's best line-up, and even if every result does not go their way then they will undoubtedly take solace from the build-up to the T20 World Cup which saw them edge a seven-match series in the shortest format in Pakistan 4-3 before going on to claim glory at the global gathering.

Nevertheless, former England captain Michael Atherton knows as well as anyone that winning is the best way to build confidence as the focus shifts back to 50-over cricket in 2023.

"I do think between now and then they want to get back to the winning habit," Atherton said. "Confidence is hard-gained and easily lost, and England have had a year where they've not really been focusing on 50-over cricket.

"I think the next 10 games, try to get the strongest side out for the 50-over game if you can and get to India with a run of wins under your belt."

Who impressed in South Africa?

Olly Stone

The Warwickshire seamer has endured a difficult time with injuries in recent years but showed some encouraging signs when he played in the first two matches of the series against South Africa in Bloemfontein.

Notably, he bowled economically in both matches, particularly in the second where he was the only one of England's bowlers to go for fewer than six runs an over as the hosts chased down 343, taking 2-48 from his 10 overs.

Dawid Malan

A 59 in the opening match of this series was followed by just 12 in the second, but the big-hitting left-hander solidified why he should be in consideration for one of the opening spots on Wednesday in Kimberley with 118 from 114 balls in a record fourth-wicket stand against South Africa of 232 with Buttler.

Given Bairstow is likely to resume his spot at the top of the order when he returns from injury, it is now seemingly between Malan and Jason Roy as to who will partner him. However, the latter's 113 in Bloemfontein showed he is not to be discounted just yet either.

Harry Brook

The 23-year-old has already showed his ability to seamlessly transition between white and red-ball cricket with his impressive displays for England's T20 side and during the Test series win over Pakistan late last year, and he completed the set of caps by earning his ODI bow against South Africa.

Blasting 80 from 75 balls in the second match of the series with seven fours and four sixes after a duck on his debut showed just how destructive Brook can be, and that little seems to faze the Yorkshireman even after not making the bow he would have wanted.

Moeen Ali

Not the best series for him in terms of his bowling after taking just one wicket across the three games, but the 35-year-old left-hander showed just how much of a threat he remains in England's middle order.

Moeen smashed 51 off 45 balls in the second match of the series for his sixth ODI half-century and then clubbed 41 from just 23 balls in the third to help England set a target of 347, finishing the series with a strike rate of 121.17 too.

England's remaining ODIs before the 2023 World Cup (all times GMT)
vs Bangladesh
Wednesday March 1 - Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, Mirpur (6am)

Friday March 3 - Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, Mirpur (6am)

Monday March 6 - Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Chittagong (6am)

SKY
 
Michael Vaughan feels England have a good chance:

"The next big ticket is to win the 50 over World Cup in India next year. They have good spin options and you have to put them down as favourites for that tournament as well. When the tournament starts people will have India as favourites on home soil. Utter nonsense. England will be the team to beat without any question and that is going to be the case for a few more years to come

Notably, India were the winners the last time an ODI World Cup was held on their soil back in 2011. But since then, they haven't won any World Cup. Their last ICC trophy was nearly a decade ago in 2013 when MS Dhoni led them to the Champions Trophy title.

"This group of England white ball players is extraordinary and for once English cricket has a trendsetting team the rest of the world should emulate.

"How are England going about their business? What do they do? If I was in charge of Australia I would be all over Mike Hussey, who was a specialist batting coach with England at this tournament and asking what they do behind the scenes. If I was running Indian cricket I would swallow my pride and look at England for inspiration"

So this trolled claimed that India being favourites is nonsense and that others hype India too much. Now goes ahead and says this :)

https://twitter.com/MichaelVaughan/status/1617804771989270530?s=20&t=EQUlJTK0NG3QTYN7EbVvbA
 
If India don't win it this time then they truly are chokers. Haven't they been favourites for like the last 8 ICC tournaments and not won one?
Been 10 years with an arguably weaker team that won an ICC tournament.
 
The 2023 ODI World Cup will start on October 5 with the final taking place on November 19, according to a report on ESPNCricinfo. The report further stated that the Board for Cricket Control in India (BCCI) has shortlisted around 12 venues for the tournament and the final will be held at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The other venues are - Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Dharamshala, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Lucknow, Indore, Rajkot and Mumbai. The competition will have 48 matches across 46 days with 10 teams fighting it out for the coveted trophy.

While the report stated the list for the main venues, the board is expected to announce 2-3 more venues for warm-up matches ahead of the tournament. The main factor behind the choices will be the chances of rain and the presence of infrastructure needed to get the field ready in time.

While the fixtures for World Cups are generally announced one year in advance, the International Cricket Council (ICC) is still waiting to understand the situation surrounding the visa situation of Pakistan cricketers and the tax exemptions on offer from the Indian government.

As part of an agreement signed by the BCCI and ICC, a tax exemption was promised for three tournaments from 2016 to 2023. The report claimed that the BCCI was “obligated” to help the ICC (along with other commercial entities involved with the tournament) with tax waivers.

On the other hand, Pakistan cricketers have not travelled to India since 2013 for any tournament but the BCCI made it clear that their visas will be cleared by the Indian government.

NDTV
 
Ben Stokes' return is a huge boost.

Pakistan and India may be in for a rude shock.
 
Given that the World Cup is taking place in India, it appears challenging for England to cope with spin.

Personally I would place New Zealand ahead of England in this context.
 
They are not the outstanding white ball they were going into the previous World Cup. A very rusty middle order of Root and Stokes and still unsure about squad and combinations.

They won the World T20 on the back of exceptional batting by Hales and Buttler. Literally , nobody else turned up.

In 50 overs, you'll need more batsmen to step up.

Once again, they have a terrific opening pair in Bairstow and Malan and Buttler is great as well.

Even the bowling is not particularly impressive as a whole though I do expect Rashid and Wood to come good.

Not clear favourites , especially in India.
 
Their much weaker this time around, compared to their 2019 team. Their 2019 team was pretty much unbeatable, only way to beat them was if they chocked.
 
Their much weaker this time around, compared to their 2019 team. Their 2019 team was pretty much unbeatable, only way to beat them was if they chocked.

They beat Pakistan like 10/10 times prior to world cup in bilaterals. Then choked against them in world cup. That win gave Pakistan much needed momentum and they started looking like really dangerous team.
 
They beat Pakistan like 10/10 times prior to world cup in bilaterals. Then choked against them in world cup. That win gave Pakistan much needed momentum and they started looking like really dangerous team.
Doesn't really matter. Pakistan was in no situation to win the world cup to win World Cup 2019.

Fakhar, Imam and Babar weren't the players they are now, and Sarfraz, Malik and hafeez were a liability, they were at the end of their rope pretty much.

2023 world cup team can win though, bowling is 100× > our 2019 bowling squad, and chacha and rizwan are better in the middle order. We also good reserve options in Abdullah, saud and haris. Also this time were playing on Indian pitches which are a bit closer to home then England pitches

Other teams are also weaker in 2023 then they were in 2019.

Current England team is dealing with slightly rusty and out of form players and no eoin Morgan this time around is a huge blow. But their still a strong team.

Current Australian teams looks strong but still a bit weaker then their 2019 counter part.

Same goes for India, rohit and Gill look offcolor at the top, kholi isn't the same anymore, the tail this time around is freakishly long and weak, lack of Dhoni is a massive blow, Rahul is an impact less middle order batsmen and fielding worries.

Same qith NZ they ain't as strong as their 2019 counterpart.

So Pakistan this time around can genuinely win but even our current team isn't perfect. We face spin concerns and middle order concerns
 
England have "more questions than answers" around their 50-over World Cup squad, says Test bowler James Anderson.

The tournament starts on 5 October and England's provisional 15-man squad can be amended until 28 September.

Batter Harry Brook is the most notable omission, with Ben Stokes coming out of one-day international (ODI) retirement to take his place.

"England have an embarrassment of riches," said Anderson on Test Match Special.

England suffered an eight-wicket defeat in the opening ODI of a four-match series against New Zealand in Cardiff on Friday but Anderson says that is "not a major worry for England".

"They've got so much experience in that team. Ben Stokes, Joe Root, these guys love this competition and the big moments," said Anderson.

"You feel like you've got a group of players where any one of them can play in any 11 out of that 16/17 players could do a great job.

"It will always be the case, there are always players you will leave out. There are 17 in the squad, when [Jonny] Bairstow and [Jason] Roy are back [from injury], they come straight back in, that probably takes out Brook and [Liam] Livingstone, meaning Moeen [Ali] to come back in.

"It does feel like there are more questions than answers."

England face New Zealand, who they beat in the 2019 final, in the opening game of the World Cup in Ahmedabad.

Three matches against Ireland follow this series against New Zealand. The first game is on 20 September but England's World Cup players are not set to feature. Brook is in the squad to face Ireland.

Eoin Morgan, who led England to World Cup glory in 2019, agrees with Anderson, believing England should know their squad by now.

"They are spoilt for choice with talent," Morgan told Sky Sports.

"Building into a World Cup you want to have absolute clarity and role definition and actually focus on players getting into good form with the bat and rhythm with the ball.

"If you can concentrate on that and build momentum going into the World Cup, that's a really good start, but I think England have some issues."

Brook, 24, was called up to the squad for this series against the Black Caps after openers Bairstow and Roy suffered a should injury and back spasm respectively, adding to England's selection conundrums.

It came on the back of the right-hander hitting a century in The Hundred and a half-century in the T20 series against New Zealand.

"Harry Brook is causing a headache for the selection panel, given the form he is in and given the type of player that he is," added Morgan.

"There are 17 players here, you can only take 15 to a World Cup, so where do you fit Harry Brook in, if you fit him in at all?

"[There will be] a little bit of confusion in the changing room when all you want leading in is absolute clarity and confidence and to focus on actual results.

"They have a bit of a dilemma.

"Sometimes it can be a good thing, you can utilise it and make it work in your favour.

"If I go back to pre-2019 World Cup and the squad that was selected, it had all bases covered for injury and for roles. Looking at the preliminary squad for this World Cup, England have got a lot more strength in depth than we did."

'The seamers were pretty flat'

Another factor in England's selection is how little ODI cricket they have play compared with four years ago, when they gradually built form before the World Cup.

Between 2015 and 2019, England played 83 ODIs, but since 2019 to their tournament opener they will have only played 43.

Anderson, who has taken a record 690 wickets for a pace bowler in Test cricket, said there were still concerns around England's bowling attack, and how they will select the right combination in Indian conditions.

Leg-spinner Adil Rashid was expensive at Cardiff, as was part-time spinner Livingstone, while seamers David Willey, who came on as first change, and Reece Topley struggled to create any chances when the new ball did not swing.

It allowed opener Devon Conway and Daryl Mitchell to capitalise with unbeaten centuries.

"It was pretty disappointing from an England point of view. I thought they set a decent score," said Anderson.

"Mitchell and Conway put on an exhibition of how to chase down a total. Only Chris Woakes really created opportunities.

"Topley struggled, [Gus] Atkinson charged in but didn't create much. Rashid started brilliantly but in the end, he was tossing it up trying to buy a wicket and Mitchell smashed him for six.

"I don't think David Willey can play in this team unless he takes the new ball, Sam Curran is a better option.

"I would like to see Mark Wood, Brydon Carse, just to see what they can do. It was pretty flat from a seamers point of view."

BBC
 
They will not retain.

The pace bowling is likely to be Wood , Woakes and Sam curran , which is average . Plus you can throw in Moeen and Adil Rashid. The batting is hard hitting , but moment pitch offers turn or swing , batting looks thin. Root will provide solidity but I think they need another anchor in the middle .

Roy
Bairstow
Root
Brook
Butler
Stokes
Livingstone
Woakes
Adil
Wood
Sam Curran
 
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