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Are England favourites to lift the World Cup?
Source: ANI
March 04, 2019 12:36 IST

 

IMAGE: England have a string of ODI specialists who can deliver for the team on the big stage. Photograph: Gareth Copley/Getty Images

England will go into this year's ICC World Cup one of the favourites to lift the trophy, after putting up a superb display of ODI cricket in the just concluded series against the West Indies, drawing the series 2-2.

Since World Cup 2015, England have won 14 out of the 20 bilateral series they've contested.

A change in batting approach since the appointment of head coach Trevor Bayliss has helped their cause.

The England team management, were in the past, guilty of choosing Test players for ODI's.

But over time they started picking up specialists for the ODI format.

Jason Roy, Alex Hales, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler are all familiar names in the ODI format and their approach to the game has benefitted the England team.

These players start going after the bowlers from the first ball. putting the opponent under pressure.

There have been five occasions when a team has posted more than 400 runs since the 2015 World Cup 2015, and out of those five, four have been posted by England.

It was in the last year that England recorded the highest ever ODI score of 481 runs against Australia at TrentBridge.

England's bowlers Liam Plunkett, David Willey, Adil Rashid have also put in game-changing performances with the ball, allowing the team to prosper on all kind of pitches and in all conditions.

Eoin Morgan, who had unsuccessfully captained the team in that disastrous 2015 World Cup, where the team was knocked out by Bangladesh, has seen a significant change in the squad.

He, along with coach Bayliss has brought a breath of fresh air into the team by picking up specialists and allowing the team to prosper by giving them full freedom.

Last year, Morgan surpassed Ian Bell to become the highest run-scorer for England in the ODI format during the 3rd ODI against Australia.

England, with this attacking approach, are the prime favourites for the World Cup, but the team is also susceptible to bouncy tracks, which was evident in the last ODI of the five-match series against the Windies.

The team has been prone to batting collapses, which the management knows they need to rectify before the World Cup.

During the Champions trophy in 2017, England suffered a heavy collapse in the semi-final against Pakistan resulting in their ouster from the tournament. They were also criticised for playing with their traditional approach in an important clash which probably cost them the match.

The World Cup will be played in England, so there will be home pressure, but with their current form, the team has the best chance of winning the World Cup for the first ever.

England open their World Cup campaign against South Africa on May 30.

Source: ANI
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