5 Reasons why England will win the World Cup in 2019

South Africa v England - 5th Momentum ODI
England look well-prepared for the 2019 showdown

The ultimate prize in the 50-over format is up for grabs next summer in England. The strategies being formulated, game plans being prepared as the Top-10 cricketing nations fight it out for the ultimate glory in the limited overs game.

With only a year left for the extravaganza, the English cricket team looks like the favorites in their quest for a World Cup crown. Despite falling short in the previous 11 editions of the Cup, the English team management have finally assembled a team which is more than capable of winning the trophy for the first time.

In the next 5 slideshows we take a look as to why England are favorites to win the 2019 showdown:


#1 The home advantage

Australia v New Zealand - 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup: Final
Australia lifted the Cup at the comforts of the MCG

The past two World Cups have been won by the hosts and 2019 can be no different. The home advantage has never been so important in the game's history as it has been in the recent times.

The troika of climatic conditions, home support and pitches favouring the home team give the home teams advantage.

The English team's ODI record has been formidable in home soil in the past few years. The small grounds which aid their power hitting and pitches which help seam and swing for their potent pace battery, can help them to their first World Cup.

#2 The batting depth

England v New Zealand - 5th ODI Royal London One-Day Series 2015
English Batting Lineup is highly capable

Since the debacle of the 2015 World Cup, English cricket underwent a cricketing revolution and the results have been exemplary. The current English batting line-up bats deep, with the likes of Adil Rashid, who is a capable batsman, coming in at no. 10, the English batting line-up is scary, to say the least.

With the ODI games nowadays being decided by the virtue of batting shootouts thanks to the lop-sided laws of the game favoring the batsmen, the team with the most batting resources seem to be best equipped in lifting the trophy and this is a major reason for English fans to smile at the moment.

An even more amazing fact is that none of these batting talents can be attributed to having a poor strike rate which is almost sin in modern ODI cricket. The likes of Alex Hales, Eoin Morgen, Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes can all easily bat with more than 150 strike rates thus making the opposition bowlers run for cover.

#3 The fall of Australia

South Africa v Australia - 3rd Test: Day 3
The Capetown saga has badly hurt the Aussie 2019 chances

No team in the history of the Cricket World Cup is more dangerous than the Men from Down Under. With five cups in their Cabinet, the Aussies have always been the team to beat in the World Cup.

While their T20 record is pretty mediocre they are the giants in the 50-Over version of the game. The Aussies have always raised their performance when it mattered the most.

However, the recent ball-tampering saga has led them bereft of their two best batsmen in Warner and Smith, and the depleted morale of the squad. Returning to their previous high standards will not be very easy for the duo once the suspension period gets over.

Despite having a long pipeline of star players like Lynn, Short and co. to name a few, replacing the talents of the above-mentioned duo in a year's time will also be very difficult.

#4 Morgan's captaincy

England v Pakistan - 5th One Day International
Morgan has transformed the English team

Eoin Morgan is arguably the best captain in limited overs format presently. The way he backs up his teammates to play a fearless brand of cricket has been a major factor since their 2015 transformation. He brings a lot of positive energy to the group which is also visible in the performances in the field.

The rapid rise of players like Chris Woakes, Alex Hales, and Tom Curran is a testament to this habit.

The power-hitting batting machine was made possible only because Morgan asked his batsmen to play their natural game without fearing for their place in the side. Even after the disappointing loss to Pakistan in the Champions Trophy, he emphasized on this theory of attacking continuously which reaped their rewards during the Australian ODI series.

#5 The powerplay overs

England v Australia - 3rd Royal London One-Day Series 2015
English Top Order can blow away opposition during the first few overs

England has evolved into a hard-hitting batting machine over the last couple of years which can result in matches being decided during the batting powerplay itself. The likes of Jonny Bairstow, Alex Hales, and Jason Roy can easily bat at a run rate of more than 10 during the field restrictions and take the game away from the opposition straightaway.

The batting firepower can also sap the morale of the opposition bowlers who may find it difficult to bounce back in the game once their rhythm is disrupted so early.

The English batters can easily race to around 80-100 runs in the first 10 overs to make a path towards a total of 320-330 quite navigable which will not be easy to chase in English conditions for most batting line-ups.

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Edited by Nishant Jayaram