5 Key takeaways from England’s provisional squad for ICC Cricket World Cup 2023

England will open the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 with a match against New Zealand in Ahmedabad on October 5.

England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), on August 16, 2023, unveiled the provisional England squad for the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, which will be played in India from October 5 onwards.

The England team will play the tournament opener in Ahmedabad against New Zealand in one of the most anticipated encounters of the ICC event. The provisional squad for England will be the same for the upcoming four-match ODI series against New Zealand at home.

England provisional World Cup squad: Jos Buttler (capt), Moeen Ali, Gus Atkinson, Jonny Bairstow, Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, Reece Topley, David Willey, Mark Wood, Chris Woakes

Here are the five key takeaways from England’s provisional squad for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023:

5. Surprise omission of Harry Brook

Harry Brook’s name was missing from the ODI squad against New Zealand, and while many felt that he would be a key player for the World Cup, the selection panel, headed by Luke Wright, surprised everyone by leaving out the talented batter from the ICC event squad.

The right-handed batter has been a vital cog for England across formats. Brook, who averages 62.15 in Test cricket, has featured in three 50-over matches as of now. He averages just 30.64 with the bat in List A cricket.

4. England punt on pace of Gus Atkinson and Mark Wood for World Cup

The ECB are high on pace going into the World Cup in India and though they are set to play almost all of their games at different venues, the pitches in the country are often spin-friendly. For that, England has chosen the spin of Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali, with the support of Joe Root.

However, they are banking heavily on pace as they have chosen the likes of Mark Wood, Chris Woakes, David Willer, Reece Topley, Sam Curran, and a new face in Gus Atkinson.

While Wood is known to bowl at over 90–95 kmph regularly, Gus Atkinson has been a surprise pick by the ECB. He came into prominence after clocking 95 kmph for the Oval Invincibles in the Men’s Hundred last week.

It seems England has planned to use their pace attack to do the heavy work, with spinners playing a supporting role in India.

3. Nine of the 2019 World Cup winners retained by ECB to defend their World Cup crown in India

As many as nine players from the 2019 team retain their spots. Jos Buttler, Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, Mark Wood, and Chris Woakes were part of the England team that won their maiden ODI World Cup.

This shows that England are banking on the experience of these players, as some of them, like Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Mark Wood, and Chris Woakes, apart from captain Jos Buttler, have extensive experience playing in the Indian Premier League, giving them the advantage of knowledge of different venues.

They have also kept the core of the England team intact, which won the 2019 World Cup, as they will look to defend their title beginning October 5.

2. Jofra Archer misses out owing to injury but will travel as a reserve to India for World Cup  

One of the biggest takeaways was that while Jofra Archer missed out on the provisional England squad for the Cricket World Cup 2023, he will travel with the squad to India.

England selector Luke Wright said that England was “desperate” for him to be fit but that they were reluctant to “force him into playing” ahead of schedule in his rehabilitation. He further added that England was sure that Archer would not be fit, at least for the first half of the tournament.

And they didn’t want to risk having him in the squad to begin with, given that he might be ready to play in the second half of the tournament. But having him in the 15-member squad would leave England a bit light in the pace department, a risk the selectors aren’t willing to take.

1. Ben Stokes returns to ODIs

The biggest takeaway from England’s Cricket World Cup 2023 provisional squad was the return of an ace all-rounder and their 2019 World Cup hero, Ben Stokes. The 32-year-old had retired from ODIs during the India series last year, claiming that it was unsustainable for him to give his best across all three formats of the game.

However, a conversation with captain Jos Buttler and coach Matthew Mott has seemingly convinced him to take back his retirement and be ready for the ICC event in India. He has duly been named in a 15-man squad that Luke Wright, England’s National Selector, confirmed is the line-up that they intend on taking to India in October.

Stokes will, however, feature as a specialist batter given the chronic knee injury that hampered his all-round role during the Ashes.

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