ICC World Cup 2011: Probable England Team

After lifting the T20 World Cup England have suddenly become a much different team from the one we have known in the last several years.

There is a new resoluteness in their batting, and they have wicket taking bowlers. Importantly there's a spring in their step in the field. There seems to be a new self-belief that was absent earlier.

And this is reflected in their recent matches. In 2010, England have played 17 matches and won 12, for an impressive winning percentage in excess of 70%.

The five matches lost include two each against Australia and Pakistan, and one against Bangladesh. Importantly, England did not lose a single series, beating both Pakistan and Australia by an identical margin of 3-2.

Twenty-one players players turned out for England in the 17 ODIs they played during 2010: Cook, Kieswetter, Pietersen, Collingwood, Morgan, Prior,Wright, Broad, Bresnan, Swann, Sidebottom, Tredwell, Shahzad, Plunkett, Yardy, Anderson, Bopara, Bell, Davies, Trott and Strauss.

In order to select 14 from this lot, all we need to do is drop seven. Tredwell, Plunkett and Shahzad, new ball bowlers tried out against Pakistan and Bangladesh did not do enough to merit attention.

Omitting these three, we are left with 18. There are three keepers, in Kieswetter, Prior and Davies. Kieswetter is the most reliable batsman of the three, although Prior and Davies did get a few useful scores. I was never an advocate for carrying a second keeper and therefore, I would keep  Kieswetter and drop the other two. Additionally, Kieswetter was an important member of the world cup winning squad, and that would give him an edge in crunch situations.

Trott was a revelation during the Pakistan series in September. Also, Cook has proved more reliable in tests than in ODIs; so I would opt for Trott ahead of Cook. Now the last spot is a toss-up between Bell and Bopara. Bell is better suited to test cricket; also, Bopara has played in India, in the IPL.

First eleven: Strauss, Kieswetter, Pietersen, Collingwood, Morgan, Bopara, Yardy, Bresnan, Broad, Swann, Anderson, with  Wright, Sidebottom and Trott providing bench strength.

Pietersen is the only one who has not done exceedingly well in 2010, and some might call for him to be replaced in the first eleven by Trott. But class is permanent, and as he proved at the T20 world cup, Pietersen can win a match off his own bat; his presence gives the team a psychological edge.

In the batting, Kieswetter has not been very consistent, but given Strauss's brilliant form against Pakistan recently, the skipper could prove the perfect foil to Kieswetter's aggression at the top of the order. Collingwood and Morgan give the team great depth. Morgan has scored three centuries and has played well in nearly every one of the 17 matches in 2010.

This team has great balance, and bats deep, right up to Swann at number 10. Apart from the four front line bowlers in Bresnan, Broad, Swann and Anderson, Bopara and Yardy are all-rounders, and Collingwood can also bowl.  England's rivals would underestimate Strauss's squad at their peril.

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Suresh Iyer is an avid sports fan and blogger.

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