“We would have to have an absolute stinker not to make the quarter-finals”.
So said Stuart Broad, just before the 2015 World Cup. England duly failed to make the quarter-finals, adding another world event to their roll of dishonour.
Eoin Morgan, captain then and now, believes that the sheer scale of England’s failure then is the reason the picture is so much rosier now. When they open a first home World Cup in 20 years against South Africa at The Oval tomorrow, Morgan’s team are favourites and have four years of superb, swashbuckling cricket behind them.
To give an indication of how they have come on, South Africa head coach Ottis Gibson, once in charge of England’s bowlers, was referencing very different Broad comments yesterday. “I heard somewhere that my good friends Broad and [James] Anderson have said that England will have to do something really bad not to win this World Cup,” said Gibson. “As far as they are concerned, England have won it already!”
The “absolute stinker” goalposts have certainly shifted and England fans have plenty of reason to believe this could finally be their World Cup. There are the 11 series without defeat (barring the one-off match against Scotland), Morgan’s resourceful captaincy, a bowling attack comfortable with the brutal conditions in which it operates and a batting lineup that just keeps coming at you.
If Jonny Bairstow and Jason Roy don’t get you, it is death by a thousand late cuts from Joe Root or battery from Jos Buttler. Morgan will play his 200th ODI for England tomorrow and has rarely been in better form. Ben Stokes and Moeen Ali have 77- and 53-ball centuries respectively. In fact, that 77-ball effort is only this team’s 18th fastest. Roy has three swifter, Bairstow four and Buttler six. Do not blame bowlers if they are having sleepless nights.
Among the reasons for England’s rise are consistency of selection, even through failure; they have used just 33 players since the last World Cup and the team tomorrow will have an average of 95 caps, including Jofra Archer’s three. The un-English plan (devised by Irishman Morgan and an Aussie coach, Trevor Bayliss) has been obvious: attack! It has been delivered by a group that has grown up together. In 2015, they were roguish boys, now they are men.
But none of this means they will become the first England men’s team to win the World Cup. They are still prone to a cock-up, from Lord’s to St Lucia, via Colombo and Adelaide, and must prove they are not mere bilateral bullies.
India skipper Virat Kohli believes knockout pressure will mean the tournament is not played at England’s 350-plays-351 pace. Their knockout experience is limited to fluffing their lines at the 2017 Champions Trophy and they must back up their claim that they are more adaptable now.
As Shane Warne wondered aloud last night: can they handle the pressure? “England come in as hot favourites,” said the Australian legend. “They’ve played wonderful cricket. The one thing they have to worry about for the first time is expectations, from within and the noise from outside.”
The other issue is that the rest of the field is quite good, too. Warne believes England must start well and Gibson followed up his thoughts of Broad and Anderson’s view by stating how little pressure South Africa are under. They are formidable first opponents and see England as the perfect opportunity to bounce into the tournament.
England must wait until the final three pool games to meet Australia, India and New Zealand, who along with the West Indies and South Africa look to be jostling for the knockout spots.
The build-up has been smooth, even if England had to jettison a squad member for taking drugs. It seems nothing like 1999, when England were out before the official song was released, and with grounds packed and the cricket world watching, the scene is set for a wonderful tournament. England have watched enviously as 11 teams have lifted the World Cup. They have never had a better chance to join that elite group.
