Star England batter Joe Root said that the defending champions will bank on the experience of winning the ODI World Cup. English side clinched their first-ever ICC Cricket World Cup trophy by the finest of margins against New Zealand on their home soil four years back and the team has got potential to defend their title.
The 2019 World Cup champions will kick off the 2023 event on October 5 in Ahmedabad. Jos Buttler, Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Mark Wood, and Chris Woakes, who were members of the World Cup-winning England team on home soil, have all kept their places in the squad for the mega event.
Speaking to the media, Joe Root believes that England will use the experience of winning the 2019 ODI World Cup to defend their title in India. The former England skipper sounded confident about playing a positive brand of cricket in the big event and feels that adaptability will be the key to success in the Indian conditions.
“Having the experience of 2019 and how good that was and how much that meant to the group and for them to go out and get the opportunity to defend it is something we are relishing and really looking forward to.
“We are going to have to play some really good cricket, we are going to have to adapt to different conditions and have that consistency that you need so we will see how we go,” Joe Root said.
The England team management is likely to play at the Number 4 position in the team as he brings in the experience of Root due to his exploits against spin. Though his record in white ball cricket in recent times is not encouraging, the team would be tempted to play him on Indian soil.
Jonny Bairstow Has Been So Consistent For Us At The Top Of The Order – Joe Root
Joe Root has picked his teammates Jonny Bairstow and Adil Rashid as the leading run-scorer and wicket-taker of the ODI World Cup in India, given their form and performance in the white-ball format of the game.
“I am going to go for Jonny Bairstow (to be the leading run-scorer), He is someone that always has a point to prove, he is a wonderful white-ball player and he has been so consistent for us at the top of the order.
“He (Rashid) has so many different skills and variations to call upon, We know how important it is to take wickets in the middle overs…he has done a wonderful job for us for a long time and I anticipate him being very difficult on these wickets,” Joe Root added.
Jonny Bairstow is a destructive batter for England in all three formats of the game and the England batter can take on any bowling attack on his given day, as he can operate well against fast bowlers and spinners at a high strike rate providing the impetus in the innings.
Adil Rashid is one of the best white-ball bowlers in the world, The Leg spinner has been a vital performer for England’s white-ball teams for quite some time now and could be the key to the team’s success in the ODI World Cup.
