Introduction:
England will be out to retain the trophy after winning their first World Cup in 2019, ending their 44 years old drought, though controversially via boundary count rule. They are fortunate enough to hold the title for the 3rd highest period – 1544 Days between the 2019 Final and the first match for the upcoming tournament, only behind Australia's 1567 Days (1987-1992) and India's 1566 Days (1983-1987).
Their aggressive brand of cricket has helped them dominate the white ball cricket in the last few years and a batting friendly conditions will only compliment their style. Having played very few ODIs, since the last 2 years, might pose a serious drawback but they still have a great team to overcome this limitation
They will begin their title defense against New Zealand, against whom they (not actually) won the final in the opening match on 5th October.
Squad:
Jos Buttler (c), Moeen Ali, Gus Atkinson, Jonny Bairstow, Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes, Reece Topley, David Willey, Mark Wood, Chris Woakes.
Reserve: Jofra Archer
Probable XI
Dawid Malan, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler (c) (wk), Moeen Ali, Liam Livingstone, Chris Woakes, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood, Reece Topley
Fixtures:
1. vs New Zealand at Ahmedabad, 5 October 2023 (D/N)
2. vs Bangladesh at Dharamsala, 10 October 2023 (D)
3. vs Afghanistan at Delhi, 15 October 2023 (D/N)
4. vs South Africa at Mumbai, 21 October 2023 (D/N)
5. vs Sri Lanka at Bengaluru, 26 October 2023 (D/N)
6. vs India at Lucknow, 29 October 2023 (D/N)
7. vs Australia at Ahmedabad, 4 November 2023 (D/N)
8. vs Netherlands at Pune, 8 November 2023 (D/N)
9. vs Pakistan at Kolkata, 11 November 2023 (D/N)
* Day-Night Matches begins at 11:30 AM IST (6:00 AM GMT)
* Day Matches Begins at 8:00 AM IST (2:30 AM GMT)
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Stats and Fun facts:
3 – If England retains the World Cup under Jos Buttler, he would become just the 3rd Captain to hold 2 ICC Trophies together under his own captaincy. Previously, Only 2 Captain has achieved the feat - Ricky Ponting (2006-2011) and MS Dhoni (2013-2015).
4 – England are just 4 Wins away from completing 400 ODIs wins. Currently 6 teams have already achieved the milestone – Australia, India, Pakistan, West Indies, Sri Lanka, and South Africa. England will be the 7th Side to join the list.
5 – Dawid Malan has played 20 innings following the previous world cup, which can be equally divided into 4 quarters - 5 Ducks, 5 Half-Centuries, 5 Centuries and 5 Scores of 1-49.
9 - Both Jos Buttler and Joe Root have played 17 World Cup Matches for England. If they play all the 9 League matches, they would jointly hold the record for Most World Cup Matches (26) for England beating the current topper James Anderson, who has played 25 matches of the global tournament.
140 - Joe Root needs just 140 Runs to surpass Graham Gooch (897) as the Highest Run Scorer for England in the World Cups
2 - Jos Buttler needs just 2 catches to top the list of Most Catches as Wicket-Keeper for England in World Cups. Currently he is on 2nd Spot with 20 Catches behind Alec Stewart, who has 21 Catches.
9 - Joe Root needs 9 Catches to overtake Ricky Ponting, who has picked Most Catches in World Cup History (28). Interestingly, he sits on the 2nd Place having played the Least No. of WC Matches when compared to any other player from the Top 20.
Players to Watch Out:
Ben Stokes: After calling time to his ODI Career, Stokes reversed his retirement to return to the format in time to make it to the World Cup Squad. His role in England’s Win in both their current ICC Trophies – ODI World Cup 2019 and T20 World Cup 2022 has been very pivotal and he has announced his return with style as he scored a match winning 182 against New Zealand. If he performs the way he is known for, England’s chance to retain the title would be extremely high.
Jos Buttler: Having scored 980 Runs with the Bat at 44.54 since the previous World Cup, All eyes will be on him to deliver for his team. Not just as batsman, but his prowess as captain will also play a crucial part for the team. He will have big shoes to fill as he will be looking to replicate his predecessor Eoin Morgan’s success.
Dawid Malan: He has been the most consistent batsman for the English Side with 1046 Run at 61.52 and Striking almost at Run-a-Ball. His regular contributions at the top makes things easier for the English side to continue their aggressive style of batting.
Adil Rashid: Playing in India is always favourable for Spinners but Adil Rashid also has numbers to make him one of the most reliable bowlers for England. He has picked the most wickets (41) for England since the World Cup 2019. His bowling will be crucial for the defending champions in the Indian conditions.
