The build to the upcoming cricket world cup has allready started with all the 10 participating teams making sure that they get the right combination before the start of the marquee event. The world cup will get underway from May 30 and will continue till July 14.
England are the firm favourites to lift the trophy, however some experts claim India to be a force to reckon with alongside Pakistan, who will be high in confidence after triumph in 2017 champions trophy in English conditions.
James Anderson predicts the winner of the world cup
The 36-years-old said that England are the firm favourites to lift the coveted title for the very first time but he agreed that India is the closest to them and can pose a threat.
“There’s no-one really anywhere near (England) in the one-day form, probably India is the closest. I think in our conditions I don’t think anyone is going to come near us, so I think we’ve really got to screw up if we don’t win the World Cup,” Anderson told BBC Tailenders podcast.
“I don’t want to put too much pressure on the lads, but the way that England play, the talent we’ve got, the players we’ve got and the way we play as a team I just think we’ve got all bases covered,” he added.
A new look England
England faced a setback in the 2011 world cup when they lost to Ireland to bow out of the tournament in a shocking manner. They again came to the 2015 world cup with some sort of confidence but their group stage exit from the marquee event questioned the capabilities of their players in the shortest format of the game.
The selectors then build the team from scratch and gave opportunities to young and upcoming talents. The step proved influential and the team led by Eoin Morgan started to produce some magical results that has given them the tag of “New Look England”.
