This summer the eyes of the cricket world will be on England when ten cricket nations compete for the twelfth World Cup; the fourth to be held at the home of cricket since its inauguration in 1975.
England’s dismal record at this tournament is well-known. Despite having reached the final three times, they have never won it, and even that record doesn’t tell the whole story. Their last final appearance came in 1992, and in the modern era of fielding restrictions and power plays, they have made very little impact, including when they last hosted it in 1999.
Yet this time round, they are topping the betting ahead of the tournament. Betcris make them the 3.39 favourites to lift the famous trophy at Lord’s on July 14, despite the fact that their preparation has been less than idea. Key top order batsman Alex Hales has been dropped from the squad after disciplinary issues, while opener Jason Roy is struggling with an injury and the possible inclusion of talented all-rounder Joffra Archer has been the subject of a lot of controversy.
The reason why they remain the favourites is only partly down to the fact that they will have home advantage, which in any case will be largely nullified given that the tournament will be played in what is likely to be the hottest, driest part of the year. Their favouritism is down to the thrilling brand of cricket that they have produced since the last World Cup in 2015, when their style of play was roundly condemned for being out of date in an era of rapid scoring.
Under Eoin Morgan, England have become one of the most dynamic limited overs teams in the world, regularly setting new records, and thanks to the big hitting contributions of Hales, Roy, Jos Buttler, Moeen Ali and Jonny Bairstow, they have the ability to chase almost any total, making them formidable opponents where once they were regarded as pushovers.
Of course, they will face stiff opposition this summer. Australia, having reintegrated Steve Smith and David Warner, are resurgent, while New Zealand and West Indies have handy limited overs contributors. But the main challenge to the home side, who will go into the tournament as the ICC’s top-ranked fifty-over team, is likely to come from 1983 and 2011 winners India.
Captain Virat Kohli remains arguably the world’s best batsman, and he leads a batting line-up packed with talent, including Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Hardik Pandya, KL Rahul, along with the experience of former captain MS Dhoni, a wily seam bowling attack and an array of spinners adept at tying opponents down during the tricky middle overs. Betcris rate the Indian team as a major challenger to England, pricing them up at 3.8 and given their depth of both talent and one day international experience, they are sure to push the home team hard. In fact, it would be no surprise to see the world’s two best limited overs teams going head to head in the final on July 14.
