Mark Wood is taking a wicket every 26.5 balls at this World Cup. Photo / AP
Mark Wood is taking a wicket every 26.5 balls at this World Cup. Photo / AP
Scyld Berry assesses the home team's strengths and weaknesses.
Strengths
Roast-beef bowling
England are playing to their traditional strength of pace bowlers, largely from "Up North" in the cases of Mark Wood, Liam Plunkett and Ben Stokes, augmented by Birmingham-born Chris Woakes and Barbados-born Jofra Archer. This amounts to roast-beef fast bowling, hitting a good length and the bat equally hard.
Their strike rates are outstanding. Wood has been taking a wicket every 26.5 balls in this World Cup, Archer and Plunkett every 28.5. Woakes has recovered most of the snap he lost during the English winter. Stokes is the most economical of all, conceding 4.65 runs per over. Can they all combine to dismiss the opposition if England bowl first in the knockout stages?
England thought the qualifying round of this World Cup would be a bit of a cruise: nine ports of call, then ease into the semifinals.
Instead, by losing to Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Australia, their cruise ship in effect capsized and they were thrown into the sea with only a lifeboat. But 11 tough characters have manned the oars, pulled together and battled through the waves threatening to engulf them.
England's slightly revised, battle-hardened side scrap all the way down to post enough runs, at least when they bat first. They have never bowled badly — except when conditions were ripe for swing and seam at Lord's against Australia and only Woakes could respond (Plunkett had yet to be brought back for Moeen Ali). Above all, though, their new solidarity shines — in the field, they collectively take the strain.
Stokes, deep on one side of the wicket, and Jonny Bairstow on the other, burn up the ground. With those two guarding the square boundaries, Eoin Morgan could bring his infield in tighter and did so against New Zealand. There is no weak link if Joe Root holds his slip catches, except perhaps for Jason Roy, who has to spare his hamstrings. A special word for Adil Rashid as Most Improved Fielder. All the extra physical training he did during winter has paid off.
R and B
The last two opening partnerships by Roy and Bairstow — 166 against India and 123 against New Zealand — have been the spearhead of England's revitalised campaign: England's new mood music is R and B.
These two characters transfer their intensity, through their bats, on to opposing bowlers. Any wide balls are demolished. Imagine them on a tightrope crossing Niagara Falls. Roy would nonchalantly throw away the pole and challenge himself to do without it; Bairstow would try to be the fastest across.
Together, they have overcome the novelty of starting against spin — with a bit of luck, as Roy was only an inch or two from being bowled by Mitchell Santner's inswinger at the Riverside. Or, rather, they have overcome spin when batting first.
The ultimate challenge will come if England bat second in the knockout stages, have to chase more than 300 on a pitch getting slower, and India or Australia open with a spinner. We can be fairly sure, at least, that England's opening pair will take aggressive options.
Weaknesses
England's captain Eoin Morgan, center, speaks with Liam Plunkett, left, and Jos Buttler between overs during the Cricket World Cup match between India and England. Photo / AP
Eoin Morgan
As a captain, he has risen to the occasion, reshaping England's strategy mid-tournament and winning six tosses out of nine. But he is being targeted by bouncers — and simply ducking them is not a long-term answer because two balls an over, for a start, will result in dots.
Open up his stance? It is a bit late at the age of 32 to make a fundamental change to his technique.
Aim to uppercut the bouncers outside off stump? Or alter his place in the order so he comes in when the spinners are on?
Either way, England cannot afford their captain to be bounced out by India and Australia again, as he was by Mohammed Shami and Mitchell Starc in the qualifiers.
Jos Buttler
Buttler, the batsman, has become attuned to pitches that are belters. Trent Bridge, for the qualifier against Pakistan, was pretty firm and true, too — and Buttler made a princely hundred.
Subsequently, the dry pitches have not been designed for hitting so much as batting, and when the ball has been sticking in the surface and holding up, Buttler's strong, bottom-handed driving has got him into trouble. In his past five innings, he has scored only 68 runs.
At least his wicketkeeping has improved during this World Cup. His catch to dismiss Martin Guptill at the Riverside on Thursday was simply left-handed perfection. Even more gratifying, he made a stumping, having missed a couple.
Now is the time for both sides of his game to come together — by not being too ambitious with the bat in the knockout stages and keeping the ball along the ground, until the time comes to unleash his 360-degree shots.
Spin rather than pace was the cornerstone of England's attack before this World Cup. Moeen Ali was brought on early and kept it tight, especially against left-handers. Adil Rashid took wickets in mid-innings or even at the death.
Moeen had a disappointing Champions Trophy in 2017 and this global tournament has not gone any better. Rashid, encumbered by a niggling right shoulder, has bowled slower than normal, lobbing the ball up rather than fizzing it through.
Graeme Swann makes the point that Rashid is not driving through the crease with his legs, thighs and hips, which would reduce the strain on his right shoulder. For England to win the World Cup, Rashid has to find his zip.
