Champions Trophy 2017: England probable playing XI

Lower middle order

Ben StokesThe million dollar man has shown why he was worth every penny for the Rising Pune Supergiant in the IPL. He can bat, he has a knack of picking up wickets, and is a livewire in the field, traits that make him an inseparable part of the English line-up. The 25-year old has struck the ball at a strike-rate of 100 in over 50 ODIs, and presents an additional pace option on the conducive conditions.

Moeen AliHe started off as a frontline batsman, but has slowly emerged as one of the most reliable spinners in the country, second only to Adil Rashid. Ali has batted both at the top of the order and lower down in it, and has been equally effective. The turning point in his career came against India in 2014, when his off-spin turned out to be more than just part-time, but the England team wouldn’t mind what capacity he plays in until he is contributing. Chris WoakesExperts have noted that his bowling is more effective to the red cherry, but Woakes has slowly upped his game to be counted as one of the best all-rounders in the country. He enjoyed a sensational summer in 2016, picking bucketload of wickets against Sri Lanka and Pakistan, but did not enjoy the same patch in India, where he struggled on the slow pitches, and during the IPL. He is expected to come good on home pitches with overcast conditions.