5 reasons why England might finally taste World Cup glory in 2019

With the ODI World Cup just nine months away, every team is looking to have their bases covered. Most teams are going through a few difficulties and still do not have their bases covered. India is suffering from a middle order problem whereas Australia yet does not know what the future holds for them after the ban on Steven Smith and David Warner. It will be interesting to see how Steve Smith and David Warner perform once their ban is lifted. Pakistan is still the same old unpredictable side, whereas New Zealand is yet to find stability in their Middle order. Sri Lanka and West Indies have lost their old flair whereas South Africa will be without the services of AB de Villiers and Morne Morkel.

Amidst all of this, there is one team who silently has been rising to the top of the world cricket in the limited overs format, and that team is England. England is the only team who have all their bases covered and have enough backup too. To me, they have the squad who can finally lift the ODI World Cup. Here are a few reasons why England will lift the World Cup:

---

#1 Destructive openers

England's Openers

England’s explosive batting starts from the top of the order with Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow opening the innings for England and taking the matter into their hands. In 2018, Jonny Bairstow has scored 970 runs for England in 19 innings on top of the order at an average of 51. The most impressive part of this is that Jonny Bairstow has scored at a strike rate of over 120 for England in ODIs and when your opener is capable of giving you that, most of your problems are gone.

Jonny Bairstow’s opening partner, Jason Roy, is not any less than him. Jason Roy has managed to cross 750 runs in ODIs this year. He has scored 780 runs for England in just 17 innings at a strike rate of over a hundred. Jonny Bairstow and Jason Roy are undoubtedly the most destructive opening duo in world cricket at the moment.

#2 Stable middle-order

When you have openers such as Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow, half of your batting line up is already strengthened. In addition to the destructive openers, England is blessed with the most stable middle order you will ever see.

Joe Root, Eoin Morgan, Ben Stokes, and Jos Buttler contribute to the middle order of England. Joe Root is termed as one of the best ODI players of today whereas Eoin Morgan silently scores for his team without making the headlines. Ben Stokes can defend the ball when you ask him to, and he can clear the park with ease when the team needs quick runs. Joe Root has scored exactly 800 runs for England this year at an average of over 61, which shows how strong he is for his team and holds on to his wicket. Eoin Morgan, on the other hand, has had a decent outing this year, scoring 560 runs for his team at 33. Ben Stokes has been a part of only eight matches for England in 2018, but still, he showed how impressive he could be as he scored at an average of almost 40, which is magnificent for someone who bats at 5.

#3 Outstanding finishers

When your top 5 are capable of scoring over 200 runs at the end of 35th over, things become more comfortable for you when you have to take guard next. Jos Buttler comes in at #6 for his team and suffices to say that he is currently the best finisher in the world. He is the one who is capable of helping his team score 150 runs in the last 15 overs, and when you can do that, you are going down as a legend of the game. Jos Buttler has scored around 650 runs this year for England at a healthy average of 58. He has struck the ball at a strike rate of 115 this year, and these stats speak loads about the kind of service he brings to the team. The next to bat is Moeen Ali, and everyone knows the type of reputation he has made with the bat, especially in the limited overs format.

When Jos Buttler and Moeen Ali are finishing the innings for you, you do not need anyone else as a replacement.

#4 Variety Of all rounders

Many teams struggle to find one reliable all-rounder for their team and England have three all-rounders playing for them. Fast bowling all-rounder likes Ben Stokes, who is capable of defending the ball, hitting the ball hard and breaking through the batting line up of the opposition, combined with a spin-bowling all-rounder like Moeen Ali, who can produce something off of any surface he's playing on.

With these two world-class all-rounders, England has a bowling all-rounder in their team, Chris Woakes. Woakes is an excellent fast bowler, and sometimes, he can be a teasing batsman for the opposition.

#5 Home Advantage

The biggest reason why England are capable of tasting the World Cup trophy is that they have home advantage on their side as well. They know the conditions, they know the weather, they know the pitch, they know the grounds, they know how to get the job done. The hosts won the last two World Cups, India in 2011 and Australia in 2015. This shoots the chances of England winning the World Cup to a new high. With World Cup being held in England and the kind of team England are going with, world cup does not look like a mere dream.

Considering all these factors, England are undoubtedly the favorites to win the World Cup and are probably the only team at the moment that has all their departments covered and strategies planned. We will have to wait and see whether England will finally be able to get their hands on the World Cup or not.