ICC World Cup 2019: Strongest England playing XI

With only a few months left for the much-exciting ICC Cricket World Cup, which is scheduled to take place in England from May 2019, all teams have started preparing for the important tournament. Each and every team is busy in finding out the strongest playing eleven for the World Cup.

England has been working hard to crack the code to touch the coveted trophy for the first time ever since they were eliminated in the group stage in the 2015 World Cup. They made a lot of changes to the squad and are favorites to win this World Cup. They were ranked #6 in the ICC Rankings in 2015 and now they have risen to being the number one team.

Eoin Morgan and Co. have got destructive openers who could provide blistering starts and perfect middle-order players who could play according to the situation of the match. They also have quality all-rounders and bowlers in the squad.

We have reached the time when a team should finalize its strongest playing eleven for the mega event. In our article, we take a look at England's strongest playing XI for the 2019 Cricket World Cup.

#1 Jason Roy

Sri Lanka v England - 3rd One Day International

Jason Roy has been in outstanding touch in the limited-overs format, especially in ODIs. In 2018, he plundered 894 runs from 22 innings at an average of 40.64 and a strike-rate of 105.05 with a high score of 180 off just 151 deliveries which came against Australia.

He has scored three hundreds and a fifty in ODIs since January 2018. Roy, who could be vital for England's chances during the mega-event, is likely open the innings for his country.

#2 Jonny Bairstow

Ever since being drafted in as a replacement opener, Jonny Bairstow has never failed to impress the selectors. In 2018, the right-handed batsman amassed 1025 runs from 22 innings at an average of over 45 and a strike-rate of 118.22 which makes him one of the destructive openers at the moment.

During the period, he also smashed four centuries in ODIs which is most by any England player. He should provide flying starts to his during this event. Bairstow is the perfect player to open the innings along with Jason Roy.

#3 Joe Root

Sri Lanka v England - 4th One Day International

Joe Root is one of the most consistent players in the limited-overs format, especially in 50-over cricket. In 2018, he scored 946 runs from 24 innings at an astonishing average of close to 60 and a strike-rate of 83.94.

He has accumulated three centuries and five fifties since January 2018. With the kind of form he is in, he can score a lot of runs during the pioneer event.

#4 Eoin Morgan (captain)

Sri Lanka v England - 5th One Day International

Eoin Morgan will act as a captain for the England team during the 2019 World Cup. Since the early exit in last World Cup, he has made a lot of changes to the squad that worked out very well. Under his captaincy, they have won a lot of ODI series since the last World Cup.

He is equally good in the batting department as well. Since January 2015, he has amassed 2832 runs from 76 innings at an average of close to 40 and a strike-rate of about 90. He can smash any bowling attack once he settles.

#5 Jos Buttler

England v Australia - 5th Royal London ODI

Just like England, Jos Buttler had a poor outing during the 2015 World Cup. But, since then, he has become an important member of England team in the shorter formats of the game. He has scored a lot of runs at a good pace since 2015.

In 2018, he scored 671 runs from 18 innings at an average of more than 50 and a strike-rate of 113.54, including two century and four fifty. He is expected to continue his luminous form during the 2019 World Cup.

#6 Ben Stokes

England v India - 2nd ODI: Royal London One-Day Series

Ben Stokes is undoubtedly one of the quality all-rounders at the moment. He is the one who can play big shots and provide crucial breakthroughs.

In 2018, he scored 313 runs at about 44 and scalped 5 wickets from 10 innings. He is also equally good at fielding as he picked up 10 catches during this period. Stokes can play a vital role in England's chances during the 2019 World Cup.

#7 Moeen Ali

Moeen Ali is currently one of the most underrated all-rounders in the game of cricket. He is one of the few players who can bat according to the situation. He is currently at the number six in the ICC ODI Rankings for all-rounders.

In 2018, the 31-year-old cricketer scored 277 runs at an average of about 20 and picked up 29 wickets at an average of 34.48 from 17 innings in ODIs. He will look to give his best during the tournament.

#8 Chris Woakes

Chris Woakes has performed decently well in the recent past. He has been an integral part of England's squad and can play crucial roles in both departments be it batting or bowling. He has scalped 114 wickets in 80 matches at an economy rate of less than 6.

In 2018, he picked 19 wickets from 13 games at an average of 26.63 with the best figures of 3 for 26. He can be handy with a bat too. Thus far, the right-handed batsman has scored 1039 runs in 56 innings at a strike-rate of more than 90 with the best knock of unbeaten 90. He would look to replicate the same in the 2019 World Cup.

#9 Adil Rashid

After the early exit in the recent World Cup tournament, the best move was including Adil Rashid in the ODI squad. The spinner played five ODIs in 2009 and was then out for six years. Since the end of 2015 World Cup, he has taken 116 wickets from 73 matches which are more than any other English player.

In 2018, the 30-year-old spinner scalped 42 wickets from just 24 matches at an average of 27.48 with the best bowling figure of 4 for 36. He can play an important role for his country during the tournament.

#10 Jofra Archer

Jofra Archer is the newest sensation in the world of cricket. He was born in the West Indies but decided to ply his trade in England. After having a successful stint with Sussex, he impressed everyone with his toe-crushing yorkers in the Big Bash League.

Later, he earned a contract with Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League. However, he is not eligible to represent England until he gets British citizenship. He is expected to get his citizenship in March which will make him eligible for the selection.

He can destroy any batting line-up with his bowling and also hit the big shots with the bat. Archer could be the X-factor for England during the next edition of World Cup.

#11 Liam Plunkett

Liam Plunkett, the right-arm fast bowler from England, will be the leading pacer for his country in the upcoming World Cup. He can trouble the oppositions with his bounce and pace.

He may not be an economical bowler but he has the ability to provide wickets at regular intervals. Thus far, the Nunthorpe-born bowler has played 74 games and scalped 115 wickets at an average of 29.77 and an economy of less than 6.

He also has 6 four-wicket hauls to his name. He is likely to be the major pace weapon for the team during the 2019 World Cup.