‘England are undercooked. It’s madness!’ As Jos Buttler’s men prepare to defend the World Cup in India, Mail Sport’s Nasser Hussain, David Lloyd, Paul Newman and Lawrence Booth discuss their hopes… and who will be the stars of the show

• ODI cricket has taken a back seat since England won the last 50-over World Cup
• Jos Buttler’s side face a daunting challenge to retain the trophy in India
• Mail Sport’s new WhatsApp Channel: Get the breaking news and exclusives here 

It’s time for England to defend the World Cup they won so dramatically at Lord’s four years ago. Can they go even better by retaining it in India? 

We asked our experts — former England captain Nasser Hussain, former England coach David ‘Bumble’ Lloyd, Cricket Correspondent Paul Newman and Wisden Editor Lawrence Booth.

England have had nothing like the preparation they had for the 2019 World Cup triumph. What shape are they in?

Lloyd: They’re undercooked. It was utterly ridiculous to play three 50-over matches against Ireland in the autumn. No wonder the World Cup players didn’t turn out. And next season the games against Australia finish even later. Complete madness. Ask any coach at this World Cup and I bet they will be dismayed at their lack of preparation.

Newman: I agree but it’s the way of the world sadly. England looked in decent enough shape against New Zealand. Everything was about winning in England in 2019, so perhaps they have gone under the radar a bit now, but it’s a team that covers most bases. Retaining the World Cup in India would be the greatest of all England’s white-ball achievements.

ODI cricket has taken a back seat since England won the last 50-over World Cup in 2019

Captain Jos Buttler’s side face a tough challenge to retain the World Cup in India four years after their triumph

Booth: If they went into 2019 as favourites, they are now just one of a few teams who have a chance; fifth in the rankings tells you they have lost some of their aura, despite holding both white-ball trophies. ODI cricket has taken a back seat since the last 50-over World Cup, and England will turn up in India hoping their big-game nous can carry them through.

Hussain: It’s circumstances really. Everything was geared towards that 50-over World Cup last time but then there was a T20 World Cup to focus on which England won and red-ball was then prioritised with the Ashes and the start of the Ben Stokes-Brendon McCullum era. They’re not in as good a shape as 2019 but they’re still in a good plac

England are something of a Dad’s Army side. Will there be a changing of the guard after this World Cup?

Newman: Yes, this is the end of the greatest era in England’s limited-overs history. Eoin Morgan has been gone over a year, Alex Hales and Jason Roy have followed, and I can’t see more than half of this squad playing 50-over cricket again for England.

Booth: Absolutely agree. For Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Adil Rashid and Mark Wood, this will be the last one-day World Cup. The rain-ruined series against Ireland gave us a glimpse of the future, with the likes of Phil Salt, Will Jacks, Sam Hain and Rehan Ahmed all thriving.

Hussain: They are experienced but that’s what you want in India. They are starting to move on and quite a few players will be getting towards their mid-30s by the end of this tournament. Yes, they are blessed with a lot of emerging talent with the bat but they will have to keep an eye on the bowling depth as they move forward.

Ben Stokes (left) and Joe Root will take part in their final ODI World Cup before retirement

Lloyd: Agreed, Nass. This is a watershed tournament for a great white-ball side. Quite a few of them will step down afterwards. What you can say is that it’s a very experienced team and lads who have been there, done it and got the T-shirt will roll up their sleeves and get on with it.

England got in a selection pickle. Have they called it right with Brook over Roy and was anybody left behind who shouldn’t have been?

Booth: It’s harsh on Roy, but he hadn’t played for England since March, and the selectors would have been taking a huge gamble on his dodgy back. Harry Brook is a generational talent — the sooner he beds down in the ODI side, the better. I’d have been tempted to pick Ben Duckett, because he plays spin so well.

Lloyd: When they picked that first squad, I said straight away, ‘Brook will still go’. He will be a sensation if they can get him in the team. They have ended up with the right squad. As soon as I saw Gus Atkinson in the T20 in Dubai early this year, I was shouting from the rooftops about England getting him in. I can’t think of anyone else who should have gone.

Hussain: It was more to do with ICC regulations. When they named that first squad, Matthew Mott quickly said it was provisional. Other teams have got themselves in a pickle, too. Look at Bangladesh and Tamim Iqbal (recalled but now out injured). Roy is one of England’s great white-ball players, so they were right to pick him but back spasms and the chance to add Brook changed things.

Newman: Yes, but they did get themselves in a pickle. They told Roy he was definitely going to the World Cup. They could have handled it better but they have done the right thing in going for Brook over Roy in the end. Jason’s England race is run and there would be no surprise if he throws in his lot fully with the franchise world very soon.

Who are the key figures for England and where will the World Cup be won?

Newman: I’m a bit concerned that what was first described as cramp had turned into a calf problem for Adil Rashid by the end of the New Zealand series. And that Mark Wood hasn’t played since the Ashes. If England are to win it, they need those two fit and firing.

India should go a long way with the likes of Rohit Sharma (above) and Jasprit Bumrah

Lloyd: The key figure will be an absent friend. Morgan ran that team with military precision and will be missed. He had an unshakable belief in his players and Jos has to show that, too. The World Cup will be won by bravery, taking a risk and seizing the moment.

Booth: Among ODI openers with at least 1,000 runs, only Australia’s Travis Head has a better average and strike-rate than Bairstow’s 47 and 107. He knows Indian conditions well and if he gets England off to regular flyers, their batting depth will terrify opponents.

Hussain: Buttler, England’s greatest ever white-ball batter, is the key. And teams still need glue in a 50-over innings, so Joe Root’s return to form will be vital.

Who’ll be the stars of the show?

Hussain: India will go a long way so Rohit Sharma with the bat and Jasprit Bumrah with the ball. So will England, so Buttler and Rashid for them. Mitch Marsh will stand out for Australia as will South Africa’s Heinrich Klaasen, who’s such a good player of spin. 

Newman: I’d love Dawid Malan to be a star. He has been under-estimated for years and still doesn’t fit into England’s way of doing things, but he’s made himself undroppable. I’m keeping an eye on Logan van Beek after he defeated West Indies virtually on his own in a qualifying Super Over to get the Netherlands to India.

Booth: Look out for India’s Shubman Gill, who averages 66 from his 35 ODI innings, and has a strike-rate of 102. Head and Bairstow can be destructive, and Klaasen recently pummelled Australia for 174 off 83 balls. Among the bowlers, I’d expect Bumrah and Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan to shine.

Lloyd: If Brook gets in, he will light up the tournament. Bairstow will be very influential and Stokes will be ultra-influential. I have a hunch Shreyas Iyer will be a big star for India but they will miss Rishabh Pant.

India will walk it on home soil, won’t they? But if not, who wins? And who’s your final four?

Mitch Marsh will be stand out for Australia and Travis Head (above) can be destructive

Lloyd: India have 13 men — 11 on the field, home conditions and the crowd. Can they lose their egos and just do the job? If they do, they should walk it. Can South Africa lose their choker tag? They have to sometime and this is as good a chance as they will get. If England draw on all that experience, they will be there. And always Australia.

Hussain: India are favourites. Can they play no-fear cricket in knockout games? Also their batters don’t bowl and their bowlers don’t bat, so their balance will be interesting. My semi-finalists are India, England, Australia and Pakistan.

Newman: The last three 50-over World Cups have been won by the home side and this shouldn’t be any different. But I wonder if India will be selfless enough. I’ve heard the case for South Africa but they always seem to cock it up. My last four are England, India, Australia and I was going to say Chris Silverwood’s Sri Lanka, but they have big injury problems. I’ll go for Pakistan.

Booth: One bad day in the semi-finals, as India were reminded by England in the last T20 World Cup, can undo all the good work. But, yes, the hosts look in prime form. If not India then England, with Australia and Pakistan making up the last four. But New Zealand will be in the mix and even South Africa.

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