3 biggest takeaways from England's provisional squad for the 2023 ODI World Cup
England have announced their provisional squad for the 2023 ODI World Cup in India, with the 15-member contingent set to face New Zealand in a home ODI series.
Ben Stokes grabbed headlines after reports of him retracting his ODI retirement became official. Uncapped fast bowler Gus Atkinson, who has made a name for himself in T20s, has also been bolted into the squad despite playing a mere two List-A games.
Jos Buttler will lead the team's title defense and hope to add to his success as captain at the T20 World Cup in Australia last year. It is worth mentioning that this is a provisional squad and changes can be made to the final 15 on or before September 28.
With England's provisional World Cup squad announced, it's time to dissect three key takeaways from the contingent:
#1 Majority of the squad wears a similar look to the 2019 ODI World Cup roster
As many as nine players who have been named in England's provisional squad for the 2023 ODI World Cup also featured in the 2019 roster.
It's a reflection of the great continuity that England have managed to keep going even if some of those players haven't necessarily played a lot of ODIs in this period owing to COVID-19-enforced tight scheduling.
Amongst the six players who were a part of the 2019 squad but are missing this time, James Vince last played an ODI as recently as November 2022 while Tom Curran has been struggling with his fitness, often playing as a specialist batter in the T20 Blast and The Hundred.
While Eoin Morgan retired last year, Liam Plunkett was discarded right after the 2019 World Cup even as Liam Dawson has been in outstanding form in domestic cricket. Jofra Archer hasn't been picked as he continues to recover from injury.
#2 All-round options galore in England's squad
A batting lineup that has Mark Wood likely to walk in at No. 11 screams of depth of the highest order. Mind you, it isn't to say he can be cast as an all-rounder, but he's certainly very good with the bat to be batting at that position.
England's probable starting XI could feature Sam Curran, Chris Woakes, and Adil Rashid at Nos. 8, 9, and 10, respectively. Rashid boasts of 10 centuries in first-class cricket while both Curran and Woakes can comfortably slot in at No. 7.
Among the batting options, Liam Livingstone and Joe Root offer excellent sixth-bowling options which should give England little reason to worry even if Stokes isn't fit to bowl. Root, in particular, has grown by leaps and bounds on the bowling front and only bolsters England's depth in resources even further, making them a real force to reckon with.
One has reason to wonder if England are treading the path of too many cooks spoiling the broth. But if Buttler uses them wisely, he has plenty of flexibility in his team to work with.
#3 Is there a backdoor entry pending for Jofra Archer?
The final squads for the 2023 ODI World Cup have to be locked in by September 28. While selector Luke Wright stated that this squad will be put forward, one cannot rule out the possibility of Jofra Archer bolting into the team within the aforementioned deadline.
Wright was clear when he mentioned that the clock was ticking and that England certainly don't want to rush Archer back into the mix, having him as a traveling reserve instead for the World Cup.
There was one interesting point he made though which was that in a best-case scenario, the seamer would be available for the back-end of the tournament.
Will enough fast-bowling options to fall back on, including all-rounder Sam Curran, will England then punt on Archer's inclusion and bolt him in before September 28? If the injury continues to keep him out of action for the second half of the World Cup too, England can always choose to replace him.
Is it a risk that they're ready to gamble with is a question that remains to be answered. Considering what Archer brings though, it's certainly an option that Wright and the think-tank will want to keep open.
Have England picked the best provisional squad for the 2023 World Cup? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!
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