ICC World Cup 2019 | England’s predicted XI for the tournament opener against South Africa
The hosts kick-start their World Cup campaign against South Africa at the Kennington Oval and will be the team to watch out for. After a series of impactful performances, England have rightfully earned the tag of favourites and should be oozing with confidence after their recent run-in ODIs.
Jason Roy : Despite Alex Hales’ stupidity before, I can’t stress this enough, a World Cup, Roy was anyways going to get the nod. But with the former now out of the picture, Roy will have to deliver at the top.
Jonny Bairstow : Because of all the hoopla surrounding Jos Buttler, Jonny Bairstow does not get the credit he deserves. After some good performances down the order, Bairstow was pushed to the top of the pile where he has averaged a cool 52.56. It all came together brilliantly in 2017 where he finished the year averaging an incredible 106.80 in 10 games.
Joe Root : There is very little I can say here that has not already been said or written about. So I’ll just let the numbers do the talking. 2283 runs since the start of 2017 at an average of 58.53 enough to land him a slot at the No. 3 spot in the team. England’s style of play also means that he would have to play the anchor if things go south.
Eoin Morgan : For all of Root’s talents, one aspect of his batting that can be questioned is his ability to accelerate when the situation demands it. That is where Morgan comes in. Not only can he play composed innings, but can also power hit like the best of them when the need arises.
Ben Stokes : If you are considered, along with Andre Russell, as the best all rounder in the game, the English cricket team is the place for you. In a team littered with all-rounders, Ben Stokes is clearly a step ahead of the rest.
James Vince : That was just a test to see if you were reading the entire article. Only a madman will leave Jos Buttler out of the playing XI. With what he is capable of doing, the Englishman can step into any of the World Cup winning teams of yesteryear let alone this England side.
Moeen Ali : Ali is neither an accomplished batsman nor does his bowling numbers jump out at you. But in a team that has all-rounders scattered all around, he plays his role to a tee. Unless he has a massive breakdown, Liam Dawson would have to man the bench for the entire event.
Chris Woakes : This is the trickiest pick in the English team. Tom Curran vs Chris Woakes aka youth vs experience. A month ago I had Woakes locked in for this spot but Curran was impressive against Pakistan in the recent series. In all honesty, I just flipped a coin and Woakes’ name came up. If he is lucky, the same will happen when Morgan does it because it is the only way to make a choice between the two.
Jofra Archer : Well, Archer doesn’t need any introduction here, he is England’s best bowler going into the World Cup. Though he doesn’t have enough ODI experience under his belt, he has done enough in T20 cricket to prove his worth in gold and the signs of him translating into 50-over format are positive. Apart from his prowess with the ball, he is more than handy with the bat and will only add more strength to their batting. One cannot imagine England's XI without Archer!
Liam Plunkett: Plunkett should be an easy pick for England as he is one of the most experienced bowlers in their ranks and has done reasonably well in recent times to start in the playing XI. The lanky bowler had a good run in the series against Pakistan and picked four wickets in the warm-up game against Australia, which should get him a nod ahead of Mark Wood.
Adil Rashid: In matches played after 2015 World Cup, no bowler has more wickets than Adil Rashid in ODIs. His rise as England’s primary spinner has been mesmerising and has done well to mean business in recent times. With wrist-spinners being the talk of the town, Rashid’s experience will certainly provide more attacking options to England in the middle overs.
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