England's ODI performances post 2015 World Cup: Can they clinch the CWC 2019 title?
England have seen a dramatic turnaround in fortunes since the previous edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup, which was held in Australia and New Zealand. They are currently the World No.1 ODI side and are the favorites to win their first ever ODI World Cup.
They finished a disappointing 5th in Pool A in the 2015 edition of the World Cup and failed to qualify for the quarter-finals.
England Since 2015 (ODIs)
Games Played: 88
Games Won: 58
Games Lost: 23
Games Tied: 1
NR: 6
England have simply been unassailable in the ODI format and hold an upper hand over all oppositions they have faced since the 2015 World Cup.
Their opening pair has been one of their biggest strengths and their strong middle order is another one of their assets.
Led by Eoin Morgan, England has played some fearless cricket over the past couple of years and succeeded in both home and overseas conditions.
Their pace bowling attack seems starkly different from what it was in 2015 with only Chris Woakes remaining from that squad.
England have made a name for themselves after their recent efforts with the bat. Their entire side has been a batting powerhouse and they have posted totals in excess of 300 with ease and broke the longstanding record of the highest score in ODIs when they smashed 481 against Australia, courtesy of a whirlwind knock from Jonny Bairstow and some able support from the others.
X-Factor Players
Ben Stokes is one of the lynchpins in the England squad and the all-rounder has already made a huge name for himself as one of the best all-rounders in the world. He along with a few other players have filled the void left by Ian Bell and Ravi Bopara.
Jason Roy is a fresh burst of energy every time England walk out to the field and the opener has flourished up top and provided England with a rollicking start almost in every innings.
Jofra Archer's late surge into the international stage is a welcome occurrence for England and he certainly has a big future with the side. This young pace bowler will feature in his first major fixture in the World Cup and will be an X-Factor for the side.
World Cup 2019
England have a huge chance of lifting the World Cup in front of their home fans and their squad is one of the most well-balanced and in-form squads out of all the teams.
England Squad for the World Cup: Eoin Morgan (Captain), Jonny Bairstow, Jason Roy, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler, Moeen Ali, Adil Rashid, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood, Liam Plunkett, Jofra Archer, Liam Dawson, James Vince, Tom Curran.
The hosts are the favorites to win the World Cup and come off a whitewash over Pakistan in the recently concluded ODI series.
They will take on Australia and Afghanistan on May 25th and May 27th respectively for 2 warm-up fixtures before taking on South Africa for the opener on May 30.