Chris Tremlett: Well-rounded England justify their position as World Cup favourites
Three weeks ago England’s World Cup campaign could have been derailed.
Alex Hales was withdrawn from the squad after failing a drugs test and the storm that followed could have thrown their preparations off.
But to their credit England dealt with the incident quickly and bypassed any distractions. Now, with the tournament just a week away, they are in a really good place.
For me, their billing as favourites is entirely justified. The 4-0 series win over Pakistan showed that they have all bases covered: all of the batsmen look in form, and although it was a high-scoring series, all the bowlers displayed their skills.
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They are the No1-ranked side in the world, playing in home conditions and on pitches that suit their high-risk style.
Now the buzz has started to build it’s an exciting time, with the first game against South Africa at The Oval just seven days away.
Tough decisions
Considering the position they’re in, England’s final squad selection was always going to be tough – but I think they’ve got it right.
With Jofra Archer coming in, one of the bowlers had to be left disappointed and in the end it was David Willey who missed out.
It’s a real shame for him, but it just shows how much sport is about timing. Willey is at his best with the new ball and is very effective when it swings, like when he took 10 wickets to help England reach the final of the Twenty20 World Cup in 2016.
However, in recent months most bowlers appear to have lost the ability to swing the white ball, and having suffered a few injuries Willey just hasn’t been as integral to England as he used to be.
David Willey (centre) has missed out on selection (Source: Getty)
His competitors, like Liam Plunkett and Tom Curran, put in impressive performances against Pakistan and those were fresh in the minds of selectors this week.
Archer looked brilliant opening the bowling at The Oval and Trent Bridge, so will become a straight swap, sharing the new ball with Chris Woakes.
Elsewhere, the move to bring Liam Dawson in for Joe Denly is logical. Denly came into the set-up when England toured the subcontinent and showed promise with his leg-spin, but it is simply too inconsistent to rely on.
Liam Dawson last played for England on their tour of Sri Lanka (Source: Getty)
Denly is a better batsman than Dawson, but unfortunately for him, with the able James Vince replacing Hales, that’s not what England need.
Dawson is an in-form, steady and consistent bowler who can step into the shoes of Moeen Ali or Adil Rashid if needed. It was another sensible call from the selectors.
Starting XI
Having spent the Pakistan series answering selection questions and giving everyone a run-out, England now have two warm-up games against Australia on Saturday and Afghanistan on Monday to settle on their best side.
The weather has been dry recently and the pitches in this country are consistently good, so I don’t think they will have to alter their selections based on conditions.
The batting line-up picks itself, but for the bowlers I’d have Woakes and Archer taking the new ball, then Tom Curran, Ali and Rashid, with Ben Stokes as a sixth option. Curran has impressed recently and I feel his variations and death bowling put him just ahead of Plunkett at the moment.
Things can change quickly, but right now England are injury-free and in pole position.