England have been on an imperious march to the World Cup since their failure in the competition four years ago in Australia and New Zealand.

The Three Lions were humiliated, failing to reach the knockout stage of the tournament. Eoin Morgan’s men played a brand of tepid cricket that put them well behind their rivals at the top of the sport. Their failure proved to be a watershed moment for England in one-day cricket and inspired a revolution in their style, which has made them the front runners for the World Cup.

Over the last three years, Morgan’s men won nine bilateral series in a row before their surge was ended against the West Indies in a draw in the Caribbean. In their run, they defeated Australia home and away, New Zealand and Sri Lanka on the road, along with a narrow 2-1 victory over India last summer. The Three Lions are a machine in the 50-over format, boasting the best batting unit in the world, while Adil Rashid has developed into one of the leading spin bowlers in the world.

England have few weaknesses, although the most glaring of them were exposed in their series against the West Indies. Their batsmen have been on song for 90 percent of the time since the last World Cup, but they have still displayed a propensity to stage dramatic collapses. Their defeat to Pakistan in the semi-final of the ICC Champions Trophy was a case and point, while further meltdowns against Sri Lanka last year and the West Indies in the final match of the series.

England’s ability to mount huge totals has been their biggest strength since the last World Cup. It results from their aggressive style of play that has seen them break the world record for the highest ODI total twice, coming within 19 runs of being the first team to post 500 last year against Australia. However, the same attitude can also result in rare failures. It only takes one of those days to halt their charge at the World Cup.

Although Joe Root does not boast the same striking ability as the rest of his team-mates in the line-up, he could be the Three Lions’ most important player in the tournament. He plays the anchor role to perfection, allowing the rest of the unit to tee off around him.  Root displayed that ability with back-to-back centuries against India in 2018, and it’s the reason why backing him to lead the way at the tournament with the most runs would be one of the best betting tips available, especially in familiar conditions in England.

Mark Wood's double-strike gives England an opening#WIvENG https://t.co/VDBuNIYUog pic.twitter.com/R4V8lJdJOs

— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) February 27, 2019

The Three Lions have also been exposed at times in their bowling ranks. Without James Anderson and Stuart Broad in the 50-over game, England lack a world-class seam option. Chris Woakes has had his moments, although, on other occasions, he has been cannon fodder. In the Caribbean, Chris Gayle took him to task with ease and there are other openers that are also capable.


Mark Wood proved his worth in the ODI series against the Windies. He could be England’s ace card in the World Cup, highlighted by his match-winning spell of 4-60 to stop Gayle and company chasing down 418 in the fourth ODI. Wood has the raw pace to trouble the leading batsmen in world cricket. Paired with Rashid, it provides Morgan with a dangerous one-two punch to turn a match on its head. It will still take a complete effort from England to clinch their first World Cup crown, but they have star men that can put blemishes on their few weaknesses heading into the tournament.

The England test team showed their inability to handle Australian conditions once again in the Ashes, a series in which they were comprehensively beaten 4-0 by the home side. That performance was simply not good enough from England, but it is more to do with the fact that they are unable to cope with conditions outside of their own, and that is something they need to address.

Next up for the test team is the short journey to New Zealand, a series which will not have as much focus as the Ashes, but will still be a tough test in similar conditions. The New Zealanders are nowhere near as good as the Australians, but they certainly have players who can trouble England with both the bat and the ball. After a poor result in Australia, morale in the England camp is sure to be low, but the players have to regroup and focus all their attention on the Kiwis, and how they can beat them.

England look like going with a very similar starting eleven in New Zealand, and it has already been confirmed that Mark Stoneman and JamesVince will keep their places in the squad. While it would have been nice to see the selectors freshen things up after such a disappointing performance against the Aussies, at least this opportunity gives players the chance to redeem themselves against slightly lower quality opposition.

When you look down the England lineup, there is hope that they can head to New Zealand and pick up a series victory against the Kiwis. Their batsmen should feel more at home on the pitches there, they don’t offer as much pace and bounce, and the bowlers running in at them don’t have the ability that a Mitchell Starc possesses. Expect to see a lot of support for England from the experts.

They are the better team on paper, and despite coming here on the back of a tough defeat, they have players with character and experience who can help turn things around.




One player who will help the England cause is MarkWood, who returns to the squad after injuries prevented him from playing in the Ashes. Wood has genuine pace and is the quickest England bowler available to them, so expect to see him take wickets on the pitches in New Zealand. He could bring what was missing from the bowling attack in Australia, and that is pace and aggression, expect to see him play well in New Zealand.

While the test on the field is not as tough, the trip to New Zealand is going to be a huge mental test for England, and we will see what their players are made of. They need to show mental toughness and character if they are to win against the Kiwis, a win they could really do with after such a disappointing Ashes series.