Yet another World Cup, yet another under-prepared England

Another World Cup, another under-prepared England side are heading into the event. The build up to this tournament has been dominated by selection debates, autobiographies and under fire captains. The World Cup is a fixed point in the cricketing calendar around which you can plan your one day side.

For the sixth tournament in succession England have failed to time that right. Where other sides have been using the last year to test out fringe players to see how they fit in with the core group, England have been lurching like a ship in a storm.

The decision to sack Alastair Cook was made ridiculously late, the call to fire Kevin Pietersen was made far too early. James Taylor sat on the sidelines for the whole of last summer despite being head and shoulders above other batsmen in the Royal London One Day Cup. (And I know, he is short). By the time they arrived in Australia they had a maximum of five matches with the right squad when they could have had five months or more.

What all of this upheaval has given England is reduced expectations. No one, not even the most fanatical supporter, thinks they have a realistic chance of winning the cup. While the matches on the tour in Sri Lanka unfolded the cricketers of Scotland and Afghanistan would have watched with increasing confidence of causing an upset when they play England in the group stages.

Scotland’s Majid Haq has said that the England game is still one of the three matches that they are targeting as a win.

A lack of expectation should create a lack of pressure. England have nothing to lose, and perhaps that freedom can see them put together a run of form that sees them get a favourable quarter-final draw. Once you are in a knockout game anything can happen, but anything better than a semi-final for Eoin Morgan and his team would be miraculous.

Morgan himself remains one of the question marks for England. He was co-opted as captain when the farce that Cook’s captaincy had become was too much for his supportive employers to take. However, Morgan’s form has been patchy for the last year.

He averaged just 25 with the bat in ODIs in 2014, and his excellent hundred against Australia in the recent tri-series was followed by three single figure scores. Morgan has the game, but he needs to find the form.

The other player that has been the subject of endless debate is Ravi Bopara. He remains the biggest enigma in the England side. There is no doubting the Essex all-rounders talent, anyone that has seen him at his best knows what he can do. The problem has been his ability to turn that talent into results.

Much of the criticism that Bopara receives is justified, even more is the worst kind of scapegoating. Even as he registered England’s highest score in the tri-series final people were calling for his head.

Those calls for Bopara to get the chop became even louder when Ben Stokes scored a brilliant hundred for the England Lions in South Africa. While Stokes remains a brilliant talent, it is important to remember how poor his England form has been in the last year, England had to make a call last month when they announced the World Cup squad, and based on the available evidence they made the right one.

While there are players that still have a lot to prove, England have as many players that have already answered the questions about their place in the side. Ian Bell has done enough in the games in Australia to put any talk of Alex Hales opening the batting to one side, although in Hales England have an excellent replacement in the event of injury.

Moeen Ali continues his brilliant returns in international cricket. While he was short of runs in the tri-series his bowling continues to improve exponentially. He is a hugely impressive cricketer who deserves his place in England’s side in every format. He began his career as a number six batsman who could bowl a bit, in less than a year he has become England’s first spin bowling all-rounder in a generation.

From a fast bowling perspective there remain as many questions as answers. James Anderson has been world class at the start of an innings and has done a reasonable job at the end. England need more from their leading wicket taker at the death.Despite one poor game, Chris Woakes has done a fine job with the ball. He has enough talent to do more with the bat and at some point in this World Cup he will need to prove that.

Steven Finn is not yet back to his 2010 best, but he picks up wickets, something that England bowlers have long struggled to do in one day cricket. He needs to maintain this form while looking to regain the pace he had in the past.

The fourth seamer remains a concern. Stuart Broad is back after a long layoff and he still doesn’t look 100%. Broad is the very definition of a form bowler, he can look absolutely dreadful for no apparent reason only to destroy sides just as randomly.

He didn’t take a wicket in the first three ODIs in Australia, but at least found some wicket taking touch in the two matches in Perth. England need a fit and firing Broad to stand any chance against the big names in their group.

England fans have a love/hate relationship with the World Cup that has been created by years of under-performance by their team. There is every chance that 2015 will be more of the same. At least England have ended up with the right squad by the time the event got started. That will give the fans something to cherish as England depart in the quarter-finals.