Cricket World Cup: Where are England seven months out from title defence, plus pick your team

Jofra Archer (left) and Jason Roy (right) person had fittingness and signifier doubts successful the past 12 months, which person near questions for skipper Jos Buttler (left centre) and manager Matthew Mott (right centre)

After a 2-1 bid triumph successful Bangladesh, England's 50-over broadside are done for the winter.

With the assistance of Cricviz and BBC Test Match Special pundit and erstwhile England spinner Phil Tufnell, we look astatine the questions inactive facing England arsenic they look to clasp the trophy they dramatically won successful 2019.

You tin besides prime your England XI for the World Cup astatine the bottommost of the page.

'Roy looking assured astatine the crease again'

Once specified a spot arsenic the openers bludgeoned attacks into submission during the powerplay, England person recovered runs astatine the apical of the bid harder to travel by successful caller times.

In the twelvemonth starring up to the 2019 tournament, Eoin Morgan's broadside led the mode successful the batting powerplay successful a big of categories, not slightest runs scored.

But nether the enactment of Buttler and manager Matthew Mott, they're scoring less runs, losing much wickets and allowing much dot balls connected average.

Jason Roy's extended tally of mediocre signifier successful 2022 was a large portion of that but, with doubts connected whether helium merits a place, caller hundreds against South Africa and Bangladesh person eased the pressure.

"He has done well, helium had a precise thin trot and erstwhile the unit is on, you've got to spell retired and enactment successful immoderate performances," Tufnell told BBC Sport.

"He got those mates of precise timely tons. It's bully to spot him backmost scoring runs and looking assured astatine the crease again. Those runs mightiness conscionable springiness him the motion due to the fact that helium was specified a important portion of England's success."

England volition besides anticipation to person Roy's aged opening spouse Jonny Bairstow backmost aft the double limb break that has kept him retired since September.

Phil Salt has opened successful the Yorkshireman's absence, but a apical people of 35 successful six innings - since Buttler became skipper - has not seen him marque the presumption his own.

Dawid Malan is different enactment aft hitting a hundred, and half-century, astatine the apical of the bid successful South Africa earlier different ton astatine fig 3 successful Bangladesh.

"Jonny Bairstow is simply a fabulous player," Tufnell added. "It volition beryllium large to get him backmost and that is going to beryllium important due to the fact that he's a feared batsman, globally. He slots consecutive backmost successful for me.

"Then, if Alex Hales is disposable - and aft the T20 World Cup, helium indispensable beryllium successful with a chance."

'Make-up of the broadside is crucial'

With England's priorities elsewhere, the ODI broadside has not had the payment of playing with a settled XI successful the aforesaid mode arsenic they did successful 2019. However, Mott and Buttler person managed to find consistency with the equilibrium of the side.

The preferred look has seen them spell with 4 batters, 3 all-rounders and 3 bowlers, positive Buttler arsenic the wicketkeeper.

The individuals slotting into the squad person varied but the make-up has precise seldom altered.

"You've got to beryllium precise flexible, particularly successful the subcontinent," said Tufnell.

"England person been getting it beauteous close successful white-ball cricket for the past 4 oregon 5 years. Jos is increasing into his captaincy relation arsenic well. It was a small spot tricky astatine the commencement but he's present putting a existent stamp connected things.

"The make-up of the broadside is going to beryllium important and they're going to request a beauteous wide plan."

Whatever the plan, choosing the champion XI to execute it remains an unenviable task.

Joe Root was England's starring run-scorer astatine the 2019 World Cup, averages 50.05 successful ODIs and, contempt not playing an planetary white-ball crippled since past July, tin beryllium expected to slot backmost in, particularly fixed the value of playing rotation successful India.

Root has batted astatine 3 successful the immense bulk of his ODI innings since 2015, but mightiness request to driblet to 4 to accommodate Malan, whose 4 centuries and mean of 54.92 would marque him a shoo-in for immoderate different side.

And wherever does that permission Harry Brook? The 24-year-old has starred for the Test broadside this wintertime and was portion of the T20 World Cup-winning broadside arsenic well.

"It's a headache," said Tufnell. "You person each these guys who tin gaffe in, but bash you request to beryllium reasoning extracurricular the container and spot however the tourney progresses?

"It's going to beryllium truthful absorbing due to the fact that it is simply a hard spot to play and truthful galore antithetic factors travel into it."

Ben Stokes was subordinate of the lucifer successful the 2019 World Cup last but has since retired from 50-over cricket

There is akin contention for the all-rounders' spots. Sam Curran was subordinate of the tourney astatine the T20 World Cup and, contempt little awesome ODI numbers, helium played a starring relation successful the Bangladesh bid victory.

Liam Livingstone offers singular powerfulness hitting and different rotation bowling option, Moeen Ali provides overmuch the aforesaid arsenic good arsenic immense acquisition and the tactical nous to easiness the load connected Buttler.

Chris Woakes is simply a treble World Cup victor and a reliable, skilful new-ball bowler. Based connected the preferred set-up, that is already 4 into 3 earlier you adjacent contemplate the imaginable instrumentality of Ben Stokes.

The Test skipper has retired from ODI cricket, citing the hectic planetary schedule. His absorption volition beryllium connected The Ashes this summer, but England don't play different ODI until a period aft that bid has finished and fixed Stokes' heroics successful 2019 and the T20 World Cup last successful Australia, it seems definite they volition astatine slightest effort to tempt him back.

"For my mind, immoderate broadside with Ben Stokes is going to beryllium a amended side," Tufnell added. "Do you effort and person a connection with him?

"All these things person got to beryllium enactment successful spot due to the fact that what you don't privation is to beryllium going implicit determination without wide planning. You privation these things good sorted. I'd decidedly beryllium asking the question to Ben."

'Finding that magic small formula'

Liam Plunkett played a captious relation for Morgan's 2019 broadside with his uncanny quality to instrumentality wickets done the mediate overs.

The seamer was the archetypal of the World Cup winners to beryllium moved connected aft the final, but England are inactive yet to satisfactorily capable the void helium left.

So who tin instrumentality up 'the Plunkett role' successful India?

"The spinners," said Tufnell. "Then you've got Jofra Archer, Mark Wood, Chris Woakes. Sam Curran is having a fabulous clip - he's got to get successful determination somewhere.

"It's astir uncovering that magic small look that makes it each tick. I deliberation it is going to beryllium a squad crippled and radical are going to person to beryllium acceptable astatine a moment's notice, but this England broadside is precise experienced now."

England person tried a fig of options done the mediate nether Buttler, but with the squad chopping and changing truthful frequently, it is hard to cognize who they person earmarked for the relation of enforcer this autumn.

Unsurprisingly, the rotation duo of Adil Rashid and Moeen person had a dense workload successful this transition of play with the Yorkshireman acold and distant the astir palmy England bowler betwixt the 11th and 40th overs. The anticipation volition beryllium Moeen, and perchance Livingstone, are much effectual connected spin-friendly surfaces successful India.

Perhaps tallness is simply a factor. The shorter, skiddier bowlers specified arsenic Curran and Wood person struggled for wickets successful the mediate overs. Taller bowlers - much akin to Plunkett - specified arsenic Archer, Reece Topley and Olly Stone person taken wickets acold much frequently.

'Build an onslaught astir Archer'

Leading into 2019, England's biggest weakness was their decease bowling. Adding Archer to the premix successful the last months earlier the World Cup helped code that and the 27-year-old accelerated bowler volition beryllium conscionable arsenic important this year.

His numbers successful the last 10 overs of an innings since returning from wounded are singular - 8 wickets astatine 4.75, a strike-rate of six and each portion going astatine a specified 4.75 runs an over.

The illustration size is small, but Archer's value to England is clear.

"Jofra Archer is simply a fabulous subordinate to person coming back," added Tufnell. "He's slotted successful good present aft his wounded and seems to beryllium afloat acceptable and firing. You're looking to physique an onslaught astir him."

As for who mightiness assistance him precocious successful the innings, Curran has been costly astatine the backmost extremity of ODIs, but was exceptional successful that relation successful the T20 broadside and has done likewise arsenic good successful the Indian Premier League.

Woakes and Wood person besides bowled astatine the decease during their England careers.

Rashid has performed admirably excessively erstwhile he's bowled successful the last 10 overs and, connected turning surfaces, could beryllium a utile asset, peculiarly against the little order.

"We hide astir Chris Jordan," Tufnell said. "Perhaps he's much T20, but he's an enactment astatine the death.

"It each depends what gets served up to you successful the subcontinent, what benignant of pitches determination are. You person to beryllium flexible and past astatine a moment's notice, you could fancy idiosyncratic arsenic a gut consciousness oregon idiosyncratic has been performing good and they travel in."

Pick your team

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