England / Ralph Ellis / 09 March 2011 /

Big-hitters have dominated so far at the World Cup and Ralph Ellis doesn't think that's going to change any time soon. Which is why Eoin Morgan could be the key to England's chances of success...

A World Cup, in any sport, is always a squad game. You start out with an idea of what your best team will be, and who will be the stars, but inevitably injuries make all those plans a nonsense.

Sometimes it means your side becomes a shambles without the leadership of the best players you thought you would rely on. Sometimes, like Geoff Hurst standing in for Jimmy Greaves back in 1966, a new hero emerges from nowhere to write his name into legend.

That's the opportunity awaiting both Eoin Morgan and Ajmal Shahzad with England's team in India at the moment. Kevin Pietersen was meant to be the standard bearer with the bat but has gone home to nurse a hernia problem even though coach Andy Flower wanted him to stay and play through pain. Now Stuart Broad, wicket taking hero of the dramatic win over South Africa, has been told he must go back to be treated for a side strain even though he'd have preferred to play on.

Those injury issues have seen England, Twenty20 World Cup winners this time last year, slide out to [12.5] in Betfair's market, having been backed as tight as [5.8] at one stage. Yet while Broad's loss will be significant as the big wicket taking threat in the team, the arrival of Morgan could actually turn out to be a significant boost.

He's the one player in the squad with the proven ability to turn on the sort of hitting display that New Zealand's Ross Taylor produced yesterday, when he and Jacob Oram smashed 85 in just 3.4 overs on their way to a 110 run win over Pakistan. In a tournament that is clearly going to be a big-hitter's paradise, the sort of flair that Morgan could bring might turn out to be crucial for Flower's side.

Mind you, the same sort of blessing in disguise might be working for Australia too after Doug Bollinger had to go home injured. The Aussies grabbed the opportunity to recall Mike Hussey, left out of their original group because of a hamstring injury. Memories of his batting in the Ashes are fresh enough to tell you that's a big bonus for Ricky Ponting's side.

For a team who haven't lost a World Cup game since 1999, a price of [5.8] looks the stand-out value in the current betting. Losing Bollinger's sometimes erratic bowling is more than compensated by the way Shaun Tait is nursing himself back to full pace by bowling short stints which are helping him generate maximum pace from his 6ft 4ins frame.

Taylor's knock took New Zealand to the top of the table, but with group games to come against Kenya, Canada and Pakistan, the Aussies are an absolute gift at [1.53] to win Group A, thus giving them a favoured route to land odds of [2.48] for a place in the final.

Five things you might not know about Ross Taylor

1. Born in the Wellington suburb of Lower Hutt in March 1984 to a Samoan mother, he was only the second Polynesian player to be picked for New Zealand
2. He was five when he took up cricket to copy his dad, a Kiwi who played representative cricket for the district of Wairarapa on the Norther Island.
3. His full name is Luteru Ross Poutoa Lote Taylor, but he grew up answering to both Luteru and Ross, and when he made his first class cricket debut and was asked to fill in the official form he wrote his name as Ross Luteru.
4. He admits to having a weakness for Kentucky Fried Chicken that gets him into trouble with the Black Caps fitness trainer
5. He's a big reggae music fan, favourite bands Katchafire and Fat Freddy's Drop.

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