World Cup Teams / Ed Hawkins / 08 February 2011 /

Injuries and exhaustion should mean that England will have to wait at least another four years to claim their first World Cup. Ed Hawkins takes a look at their strengths and weaknesses

England have never won a World Cup because they almost always enter the tournament with a handicap no other side can suffer: they are knackered after an Ashes tour. This time it is no different. Andrew Strauss and co have been on the road since November 5. Remember, remember.

Understandably they are jaded and key men are carrying niggles or have just recovered from injuries: Kevin Pietersen, Paul Collingwood, Ajmal Shahzad, Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann and Tim Bresnan.

It is a shame that England are hamstrung. They would have represented tournament value had they been in better shape for they are an efficient and talented outfit - prior to defeat in Australia they had won six consecutive series.

Their strengths are team unity, brilliant fielders, a long batting line-up and bowlers who have finally learnt the art of variation: Shahzad and James Anderson can reverse it while Bresnan and Collingwood are canny at changing pace.

Pace is key because this is also where their greatest weakness lies. When the pace comes off when they bat, they struggle as proved by Australia. England will face a stern examination by Bangladesh in Chittagong.

The bottom line, however, is that England are poor value at [8.20]. If you take that bet you must believe that after six months of non-stop cricket come the final on April, England will be at their best.

The captain- Andrew Strauss
Strauss is a fine Test match captain and a pretty good one in the limited-overs arena, too. England's recent fine record dictates that he must be respected. His greatest challenge is to motivate, however.

His charges are weary, physically and psychologically and he must somehow give them spark just as they about to start trudging around the sub-continent. England are unhappy tourists in that part of the world, and it is not just because of their unfamiliarity with the wickets. They have a dreadful win-loss ratio of 0.16 in the last five years in India.

The finisher - Ravi Bopara
The loss of Eoin Morgan is the final nail in England's coffin for this tournament. He was the world's best middle-order ODI player and had a terrific record in Asia. His replacement, Ravi Bopara, has huge shoes to fill.

There is much to like about Bopara. He is a gifted strokemaker, fine fielder and useful medium-pacer. But he's not Morgan. He did, though, excel for England in the 2007 World Cup with batting performances that suggested he would be a mainstay of the team for years to come.

The lucky opener - Matt Prior
The mess with Morgan has been caused by England's desire to accommodate Prior as opener. He shouldn't be there. A dreadful opening bat - he averages just 24 and strikes at an ineffective 78 - Prior should be coming in at No 7 with Ian Bell moving up to open.

The go-to man
With 62 wickets in the last two years, Stuart Broad is the second most dangerous bowler in ODIs in the world. He is on course to be fit after a stomach injury. He must fire if England are going to go deep into the tournament.

Best Bet:
Back S Broad to be top WC wicket-taker at [40.00]

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