ICC World Cup 2019: One player from each of the top 5 ICC ODI ranked teams that can help them win the tournament

ODI Rank #1 England – Joe Root

Joe Root

The English cricket team has come a long way since the last ICC World Cup edition way back in 2015. On 1st May 2015, Team England was ranked at the 6th spot just above three other Test playing nations then – Bangladesh, Pakistan and West Indies and today, they are proudly ranked at No.1 spot. Over the past few years, they have worked extremely hard on their white ball cricket and have discovered genuine match winners, not just one but many.

The England team comprises some very high-quality players in their side. They have the likes of Jonny Bairstow, Eoin Morgan, Jos Butler, Ben Stokes, Adil Rashid, and Chris Woakes – who on their day can really dismantle the opponent and win the game for the team. But, the one player that really stands out amongst these superheroes is Joe Root.

Though there have been concerns raised over his strike rate in ODIs, his exceptional consistency over the years has really silenced his critics. In fact, his style of play allows others stroke-makers around him to express themselves and dictate terms to the opposition.

Also, considering the fact that he will play in the middle order, he will have to carry the responsibility of guiding the batting unit through till the end more often than not to ensure England end up on a winning side. In the past two years, he has scored close to 1000 runs every year at a very respectable average and team England will only be hoping him to continue playing in the same fashion this year.

Without a doubt, England will start the tournament as red hot favourites to win the ICC World Cup in their own backyard. However, they will need everyone to click together but most importantly, Root to play exceptional cricket to win their very first World Cup trophy of cricket – a sport that they introduced to the world centuries ago.