Jos Buttler To Joe Root: 5 Key Players For England In World Cup 2023
Defending champions England will enter World Cup 2023 as one of the favorites to win the title. England will open their campaign against New Zealand in the tournament opener at the Narendra Modi Stadium. The team is laced with some of the biggest game changers in the world and will be a force to reckon with in the gala event.
England, with their newly adopted baseball approach, has swept away anything that has come their way, but the challenge will be a different and stiffer subcontinent. Let’s look at five key players from the Jos Buttler-led team who can help England win back-to-back ODI World Cups.
Joe Root
Joe Root has only played 12 games since the 2019 World Cup, averaging 35.10, without scoring a century. The numbers are not great for someone of the caliber of Root, however, the former captain will be a crucial part of the World Cup squad given his ability to play spin well. With natural strikers like Jos Buttler, Jonny Bairstow and Jason Roy in the team, Root, who can rotate strike against the spinners, becomes key.
Jos Buttler
Jos Buttler has mostly batted at no.5 in ODIs in the last few years but in a massive tournament like a World Cup, Buttler will have to bat in the top 4. The wicketkeeper-batter has done well in the 23 games he has played post the ODI World Cup 2019, scoring 804 runs, including two centuries.
Harry Brook
Brook has hardly played ODI cricket, with three ODIs against South Africa as his only appearance for England in the 50-over format. However, his style of play is perfectly suited for ODI cricket. Brook thrived on low and slow pitches of Pakistan in PSL and also played a full season of IPL which will be a great learning experience for him.
Liam Livingstone
Livingstone as a finisher is just what England need after a heavy top order. Livingstone has not done much in the few games he has played for England. The swashbuckling batsman has scored a mere 250 runs in 12 outings for his side. However, the position he bats will not require him to play long innings and a small cameo is all that the team will need from him. Livingstone has the game to add those extra 20-30 runs to the final total that often prove decisive in close games.
Adil Rashid
Adil Rashid is very underrated but has played a significant role in England’s juggernaut in limited overs cricket. He did go through a lean patch in 2022 but claimed eight wickets and the player of the series award against Bangladesh. On pitches where spinners are the real game changers, England will expect big performances from their ace spinner.
