ICC World Cup 2019: England's first choice playing XI

Under the leadership of Mike Brearley, England reached their first ever World Cup final in 1979 but the Caribbean wrath was just inevitable. The margin of defeat got even finer and inflicted more pain when Mike Gatting’s side in 1987 took on Australia, but eventually, it was Allan Border who kissed the trophy. Something similar repeated itself in 1992 against Pakistan and their glory tales in this tournament ends there. Might be very difficult to believe for a few fans, but England have not reached the semifinals of the World Cup since 1992. Their performance in the previous two editions was nothing short of horrendous, losing to Ireland in Bangalore and twice to Bangladesh in Dhaka (2011) and Adelaide (2015). They are a completely different team right, or a juggernaut to be precise. They’ve found an identity to the side and are building upon that identity which was laid under the leadership of Eoin Morgan. He now faces an uphill task of choosing an XI from a bunch of stars and it really won’t get easy. But the following might be his first choice eleven when they take on South Africa in the inaugural game on 30th May. 1. Jonny Bairstow Jonny Bairstow. (Photo Source: Twitter) Jonny Bairstow has been in sensational form, scoring 450 runs in the IPL 2019 and followed it up with some brilliant scores against Pakistan in the 5-match ODI series. The Englishman is looking better than ever before and is going to be one of the pillars of their lineup. The Bradford man has a strike-rate well in excess of 100, making him a force to reckon with. The only problem for Bairstow is there is no trustable backup opening option. James Vince has been roped in place of Alex Hales, but the youngster has no major experience of playing in such big tournaments. This will put some burden on the shoulders of Bairstow and Roy, but the duo should be able to see this through easily. 2. Jason Roy Jason Roy. (Photo Source: Twitter) 2018 wasn’t the most memorable calendar year for Jason Roy, who was struggling to find his lost mojo. He wasn’t timing the ball well, he was throwing his wicket away cheaply and was not able to pile up a big score despite all the good efforts. Yet, as they say, good players always find a way through and he did, in some style. Jason Roy comes into this tournament on the back of a phenomenal performance against Pakistan in the 5-match ODI series. He scored a brilliant 100 in the 4th ODI against them despite combating some personal adversities. Roy and Bairstow form one of the most lethal opening pairs in ODI history and they can etch their names forever in history books with a solid show in the tournament that counts. 3. Joe Root Joe Root. (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images) Among all the radical and brutal batsmen in the lineup, Joe Root is the only batter in their top order who will not rely on boundaries the most. He is here to play second-fiddles and help the other batsmen pile up some quick runs. A fact that he can do this job by maintaining a strike rate in excess of 90 speaks volumes of how England approach ODI cricket. He is the furnace player who will depend on his timing and orthodox technique to get the runs and he fits into the scheme perfectly. Although there has been a lot of criticism surrounding on him not getting big scores at regular intervals, the 28-year-old continues to deliver up to the commands of his captain and coaching staff. 4. Eoin Morgan (C) Eoin Morgan. (Photo Source: Twitter) The man who made an impossible dream come true, Eoin Morgan has breached many heights in recent years which seemed unscalable. Besides making England a gigantic force, he also became the Three Lions’ most capped player and highest run-scorer. He is also on the verge of becoming England’s first ever cricketer to score 7,000 runs in ODIs. He is such an important member in this side not just with the bat, but also for his canny field placements and bowling changes. He knows the strengths and weaknesses of his side perfectly and that has allowed him to make good use of them at the right time, in the right place. Don’t be surprised if he poses in the Lord’s balcony with the trophy in hand. 5. Jos Buttler Jos Buttler. (Photo Source: Twitter) One of England’s priceless gems right now, Jos Buttler is touted as their MVP for this edition of the World Cup. The form he has shown in recent years has been nothing short of spectacular and it is almost difficult to believe the same batsman was struggling to get bat on ball in the 2013 Champions Trophy. He has come a long way and has an intricate final hurdle to cross. With MS Dhoni‘s performances coming down, Jos Buttler is right now the best finisher in world cricket. The precision and consistency with which he makes difficult shots look so easy on the eye with a very traditional technique is what makes him so special and he definitely is one player who will intimidate the oppositions. 6. Ben Stokes Ben Stokes. (Photo Source: Twitter) Ever since the incidents that happened in Bristol, Ben Stokes has not been at his best. The all-rounder was in the form of his life prior to that incident and was scoring big runs for fun. He kept clocking the high 140s with the ball, forcing some experts to compare him with some of the greatest all-rounders of all time. But since then he had two miserable IPL outings and not a lot of considerable big scores in English colors. Yet, he struck some form in the series against Pakistan, perhaps the perfect time for his side and himself. Morgan believes that Stokes could be one of their biggest match-winners and will not leave him out of the XI so easily. 7. Moeen Ali Moeen Ali of England. (Photo by Jordan Mansfield/Getty Images) Perhaps the most under-rated all-rounder in their lineup, Moeen Ali constantly provides some assurance with the bat and ball. From the opening slot to the number seven position, he is versatile enough to play at any position and is a proper team man a captain needs. He has been striking the ball very well off-late and if the tracks are a little dry, he will get a lot of purchase with the ball. Some might feel he is being under-used in this XI as he bats at number 6 or 7 and is just a 6th bowling option who covers up some poor performances of the main five. But just like Joe Root, his role over the time period has been very clear and the 31-year-old is more than happy to do what is being told to him. 8. Chris Woakes Chris Woakes of England. (Photo by Anthony Au-Yeung/Getty Images) Before the addition of Jofra Archer, Chris Woakes was under a lot of pressure to handle the death bowling department. Although he was doing a fine job, sometimes he wasn’t getting the assistance he would’ve wanted. He bowls in the high 140s and all these quicks with extra pace will be very crucial on flat decks, where the opportunity to deceive the batsmen are very few. Woakes will still be the main man considering Archer has very little experience of playing at the International level. If there is some movement available, it won’t be easy to face him with the new ball as well and he is likely to take up most of the difficult overs this tournament. Not to forget, he is also a very handy batsman in the lower order. 9. Jofra Archer Jofra Archer. (Photo Source: Twitter) Right when the deadline clock was ticking towards the end, Jofra Archer managed to squeeze into the 15-man squad at the expense of David Willey‘s exclusion. That was a very harsh call considering the work-rate of Willey despite being poor on occasions, but these are the kind of harsh calls which makes up champion squads. One of the main reasons he came in was to ensure their death bowling improves. England have been getting away despite some poor bowling performances in the death all thanks to their batsmen, but the selectors and captain didn’t let this issue go under the carpet. They summoned it, did some corrections and now it is the duty of the young fast bowler to deliver for the Three Lions. 10. Liam Plunkett Liam Plunkett. (Photo by Julian Herbert/Getty Images) In any other side, Liam Plunkett could probably qualify at number seven considering his batting ability. But in this English squad, he cannot find a place in the top 9, which speaks volumes of their depth. This might as well be one of the final assignments of the 34-year-old’s career and he would love to finish on a high. He and Morgan are the only players in the current squad who played the World Cup in Windies back in 2007, so there is no dearth of experience. After failing to make it to the 2011 and 2015 squads, here he is, representing the side as one of the most important bowlers. His canny approach will be very significant in the middle overs. 11. Adil Rashid Adil Rashid. (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images) Adil Rashid has a very clear game plan and that has been a major reason behind his success in the last couple of years. He will keep tossing the ball and will invite the batsmen to make errors. This is a process where some runs will leak, sometimes many, but more often than not he has managed to scalp the big fishes and will have a major role in England’s journey. The only other trustable spinning option in the side is Moeen Ali and he fits into the side as a more-than-handy 6th bowler. We will get a glimpse of what this can be expected from Rashid in this World Cup in the warm-up games and his chemistry with the skipper Eoin Morgan has also been a major facet behind his brilliant run.

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