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United Kingdom
Summary:
- England go into the 2023 ODI World Cup as defending champions
- England have missed a trick or two in terms of preparation for the ODI World Cup
- Two out of the three matches against Ireland were abandoned due to rain
The 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup is set to take place in India from 05 Oct to 19 Nov in what promises to be a very competitive ODI World Cup.
England are the defending champions but will go in with a bit of unrest as their preparation in the lead up to the ODI World Cup hasn’t been great.
ODI Series Against Ireland Is A Washout
When you decide to play a world cup in the sub-continent, it makes sense for a team to play as much cricket as they can in the sub-continent ahead of the world cup. India and Australia are currently in a three match ODI series while New Zealand are playing Bangladesh in Bangladesh in an ODI series.
The schedule set by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) saw Ireland travel to England to play a 3 match ODI series. The first match in the series was abandoned without a balling being bowled. The second match England ended up winning by 48 runs and the third and final match which took place on Sep 26 was a no result as only 31 out of the 50 overs in England’s first innings could be sent down.
Will The Lack Of Preparation Hurt England?
Playing a cricketing minnow like Ireland in English conditions is likely going to do more harm than good to England’s preparation. The conditions in England offer swing and seam whereas the conditions in the sub-continent will offer spin and reverse swing.
England have selected a powerful team that has a nice blend of experience and youth. The experienced players should be able to settle down quicker once the ODI World Cup starts but some of the younger players might struggle and that could seriously impact England’s chances to defend and win back to back ODI World Cup’s.
Jos Butler will captain England at the 2023 World Cup. We take a look at the squad below.
England Squad: Jos Buttler (c), Moeen Ali, Gus Atkinson, Jonny Bairstow, Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes, Reece Topley, David Willey, Mark Wood, Chris Woakes.
Don’t forget to come back to our site later this week, as we preview the upcoming ICC World Cup tournament with the latest odds and our prediction of who is likely to win.
