England – 2019 Cricket World Cup Preview
In this section, we will look at the England 2019 Cricket World Cup odds. The host nation will welcome nine additional countries to the UK in their cricketing summer. Ahead of the contest, let’s consider their chances of winning a first-ever 50 over competition.
We will analyse their best player, their strengths and any weaknesses in their side as they head into the competition. This guide also looks at the history of a country that played India in the first ever world cup match, way back in 1975.
How England got to the 2019 Cricket World Cup
As the hosts, England automatically qualified for the 2019 World Cup. They are also the number one One Day International cricket side. They therefore would have made it through to the tournament even had the competition been held elsewhere.
Current rules allow the hosts, plus the remaining top seven teams in One Day cricket to progress without the need for a batch of qualifiers leading up to the tournament.
England’s odds to win the 2019 Cricket World Cup
Eoin Morgan’s England 2019 Cricket World Cup squad are currently favourites to win the competition. They can be picked up at best industry odds of 3.25 with Bet365. They are the host nation but more importantly, this England 2019 Cricket World Cup team are the highest ranked ODI side ahead of the tournament.
That price, and that ranking, was brought up to date prior to England’s ODI series away to the West Indies. And their performances in those games will give us some strong indicators. They have depth in their batting and a well-balanced bowling attack. So will this finally be the year that they pick up a trophy in the 50 over format?
England’s History in the World Cup
England hosted the very first World Cup tournament in 1975 and they played in the first game, beating India by 202 runs. England made it through to the semi finals that year. Nevertheless, old enemies Australia defeated them to start a pattern for this underperforming side.
– 1979 to 1992
Four years later, England went one better and made it to the final of the 1979 tournament. There they ran into a rampant West Indies side who, inspired by the great Viv Richards, won by the comfortable margin of 92 runs.
England completed a hat trick of host duties in 1983. But once again, they were to be denied on home soil. India ended West Indies’ dominance by taking their first title and along the way, they defeated the English by six wickets in the semi final.
1987 saw the tournament move away from England for the first time. India and Pakistan subsequently combined to take hosting responsibility. Under Mike Gatting, England reached the final, powered by the tournament’s leading run scorer, Graham Gooch. Unfortunately for their traveling support, that final was a step too far as they slipped to a seven run defeat at the hands of Australia.
Similar heartbreak was to follow at the next tournament. After a break of five years, the World Cup headed to Australia and New Zealand. After an elongated, round robin group stage, England then found themselves in the final against Pakistan. They started as favourites but with skipper Imran Khan leading by example, England lost out by 22 runs in their hunt for that ever-elusive first 50 over title.
– 1996 to 2003
England only just made it out of the groups at the 1996 tournament. But after a series of poor performances, eventual champions Sri Lanka beat them in the quarter finals.
Three years later, they were hosts once again. This time, however, the competition ended in embarrassment. Famously, England’s official World Cup song hadn’t even come out before Alec Stewart’s side failed to get beyond the groups for the first time in their history.
2003 saw more disappointment. Nasser Hussain was in charge when England made the decision not to play in Zimbabwe and that led to another early exit ahead of the knockouts.
– 2007 to 2015
In 2007 in the West Indies, the English did get out of the groups for the first time in eleven years. They couldn’t capitalise, though, and were heading home after the Super Eight stage. The 2011 tournament ended at the quarter final stage. Nonetheless, England were involved in two of the competition’s most memorable games. Namely, a thrilling tie with India and a historic defeat at the hands of Ireland. It was one of the greatest matches in Cricket World Cup history.
On to 2015 and what many supporters consider to be the worst English World Cup to date. A pedestrian set of performances ultimately led to just two wins and four defeats from their six group games. With a record like that, England were never going to progress to the next stage. They soon headed home as coach Peter Moores lost his job.
A country who once challenged at every tournament, England were now being left behind as teams scored at a rapid rate. Since then, things have changed dramatically. Consequently, we can expect a more explosive English side to take the field at the 2019 Cricket World Cup.
England’s best player heading into the 2019 World Cup
There are a number of contenders for England’s 2019 Cricket World Cup best player, mostly in the batting department. But we’re opting for Jos Buttler. The keeper-batsman will be familiar to Indian fans after his explosive hitting for Rajasthan Royals in the IPL. And it’s that power that England need if they are going to go deep into this tournament.
Considering the ODI rankings, that may seem like a surprising statement. England’s highest ranked batter at number four is Joe Root. We then have to go all the way down to number eighteen to find Jos Buttler. However, he is a real game changer, averaging nearly 40 in ODI cricket with six centuries and an impressive strike rate of 116.97 prior to the 2019 series with the West Indies.
Buttler holds a number of English batting records. And that explosive power makes him the one of the top players at the 2019 World Cup.
England 2019 Cricket World Cup Schedule
This is a list of the England 2019 Cricket World Cup schedule for round robin matches. Also included are dates for the knockout rounds, should they progress that far.
| Date | Venue | Opponents |
| May 30th | The Oval | South Africa |
| June 3rd | Trent Bridge | Pakistan |
| June 8th | Cardiff | Bangladesh |
| June 14th | Southampton | West Indies |
| June 18th | Old Trafford | Afghanistan |
| June 21st | Headingley | Sri Lanka |
| June 25th | Lord’s | Australia |
| June 30th | Edgbaston | India |
| July 3rd | Durham | New Zealand |
| July 9th | Old Trafford | Semi Final One |
| July 11th | Edgbaston | Semi Final Two |
| July 14th | Lord’s | Final |
England’s biggest question mark heading into the World Cup
Some would say the decision on whether to include Jofra Archer is the biggest dilemma. However, the big question mark may come at the top of the order. This England 2019 Cricket World Cup squad have picked opening pairings between Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow and Alex Hales. But if all three are fit, they have to find a way of accommodating them.
Hales has been the one to miss out in recent matches, but he scores big in all forms of limited overs cricket. This isn’t a weakness as such for the England 2019 Cricket World Cup side. Nevertheless, England will be more vulnerable to their opponents if all three men are not batting at the top of the order.
England’s biggest area of strength heading into the World Cup
The issue for opposition bowlers is that this England side will continue to go on the attack no matter what the position in the game might be. They bat deep and even the likes of Adil Rashid and David Willey who will come in at around nine or ten, will take on the bowlers as they look to add quick runs.
Roy, Hales, Bairstow, Root, Morgan, Buttler and Stokes are a seriously powerful top seven and that really is England’s strength. Back in 2015 they were a pedestrian side. But now, it’s a totally different approach with powerful ball strikers coming at the bowlers from start to finish.