World Cup: Can England win their maiden title in 2019?
England, the founding fathers of the game, would be playing the 12th edition in the ICC World Cup at home. This is the fifth instance when they are hosting the event, while Australia would be the defending champions. England are one of the three major nations which have never won the World Cup. Being the current numero uno, can they lift their maiden title?
England to open proceedings against South Africa
Following is England's schedule (3 PM IST): May 30: vs South Africa, The Oval June 3: vs Pakistan, Nottingham June 8: vs Bangladesh, Cardiff June 14: vs Windies, Southampton June 18: vs Afghanistan, Manchester June 21: vs Sri Lanka, Leeds June 25: vs Australia, Lord's June 30: vs India, Birmingham July 3: vs New Zealand, Chester-le-Street
England have lost just five series since 2015 World Cup
As far as England's performance goes since their 2015 World Cup group stage ouster, they have been on a phenomenal run. Having played 23 ODI series since then, they have lost only five of them, while only two of those losses have been at home. Overall, they have played 88 matches since 2015 event, winning 58 and have a winning percentage of 70.73.
England have a batting-dominated squad
The 2015 World Cup saw England fielding a balanced squad with several stars in it. While in this edition they have plenty of players from the previous edition, the squad looks batting dominated. Led by skipper Eoin Morgan, who is a batsman, the squad consists of the likes of Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler, Joe Denly, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes and David Willey.
A reliable batting order and dependable all-rounders
As discussed above, England's current batting order is one of the deadliest in the world, as they have the batting firepower till the seventh or the eighth spot. Apart from that, they also have reliable all-rounders like Moeen, Curran, Stokes, and Willey, who can decimate their opponents. It must be noted that restricting England this time, at home will certainly be a monumental task.
Inconsistent bowling attack, lack of spinners
Despite their astounding run since 2015, England have an issue with their bowling. While their batsmen have been scoring runs aplenty, their bowlers have been leaking runs. Stokes has been on the receiving end, as he had an expensive campaign in the IPL. Moreover, the lack of genuine match-winning spinners is likely to put an extra burden on Adil Rashid and Moeen.
England's bowlers need to step up
Even though, they are the number one ODI team, England's bowling lacks cutting edge. However, their batting could overshadow these weaknesses. Since the pitches, this term, are likely to be flat, the author feels that England will have to rely heavily on the all-rounders as well. Overall, they enter as one of the favorites and have the desired talent to clinch their first title.
