Unstoppable England go in as favorites for World Cup 2019
England have continued to play an aggressive brand of ODI cricket. The Eoin Morgan-led side thrashed Sri Lanka once again in the ongoing ODI series. England have taken a 3-0 lead after four matches to seal the series. With the World Cup less than 8 months away, high-flying England will go in as the favorites. Here we decode the same.
England have won the last nine ODI series
England have been terrific with the white ball in the last couple of years. Morgan's side have won the last nine ODI bilateral series consisting of two or more matches. They last lost 1-2 against India in January 2017. Since then they have been at another level. England lost a one-off ODI match against Scotland in 2018. Overall, they have been top class.
Since 2015 World Cup, England have been at another level
England had suffered a group stage exit in the 2015 World Cup. But since then, they have changed their fortunes and the performances have been telling. When you look at the stats, Morgan's side have won 51 of 76 ODI matches. There's no doubt about the excitement they have brought in ODI format. England have lost only 20 matches during this phase.
Timely form of skipper Morgan impresses Vaughan
There were questions regarding the form of skipper Eoin Morgan, who was undergoing a lean patch. But the southpaw changed things. He has been terrific in the ongoing series where he is averaging 195. This is crucial for England to see their skipper stand strong. Michael Vaughan stated to BBC, "Morgan looks in as good a form as I've seen him for many years."
England batting the best in the world
England have one of the best batting units in the world at the moment. Among top five run-scorers in ODIs in 2018, England see four of their batsman occupy spots. Jonny Bairstow leads the proceedings with 1,025 runs with Joe Root (936), Jason Roy (890) and Eoin Morgan (756) all there. Jos in the middle order has been another revelation with 671 runs.
A classy all-round and bowling department
England's all-rounders give further boost to the side. Ben Stokes is a class act with Chris Woakes and Moeen Ali offering immense depth in the line-up. England bat real deep and that always keep them in games. The bowling has a nice mix of experience and youth on offer. Adil Rashid, in particular, has been in his own league with 41 scalps.
England's winning mentality makes them favorites: Our take
The biggest test for Morgan's side was against India and they came out strong sealing the three-match series 2-1. Apart from that, the series win against Australia was terrific. Since the World Cup is at home and England are clicking well, they are clear favorites.
