Jason Roy

After his omission from the 2022 T20 World Cup following his painful loss of form over the summer, it’s worth remembering just how good Roy’s ODI numbers are. 10 hundreds and an average of exactly 40, since the 2019 World Cup only five openers have a better strike rate than he has. Despite a dip in his one-day form in 2020, he has recovered since, with his average back up into the forties. He scored his first hundred in three years against the Netherlands this summer and while it can’t be said he’s guaranteed to retain his place, no other option can intimidate sides in the way Roy does. James Vince, although wonderfully classy does not possess the same destructive power, and while the same cannot be said for Phil Salt, he has yet to prove he can do it consistently in an international shirt. Barring another dramatic loss of form this year, Roy should make it into the starting XI.

Jonny Bairstow

A no-brainer once he recovers from his broken leg. Last year was an uncharacteristically dry year for Bairstow in ODIs, failing to average above forty for the first time since 2016 and without a hundred for the first time since 2017, although he only played six matches. His annihilation of New Zealand and India in the Test format meant he left no one doubting his continued ability to cause carnage at the crease. In reality, Bairstow probably walks into every ODI side in the world.

Joe Root

The engine room of England’s ODI batting lineup, Root has been slightly clunky in the format since the 2019 World Cup. Without a hundred now for three years, his average is dangerously close to dropping below fifty – what a problem to have. His comforting presence for fans, who can take a break from an England innings only to return and find Root was still in on for a run-a-ball half-century would be a more than welcome prospect. His form will be key to England’s chances of retaining the trophy. Dawid Malan has impressed at three in Root’s absence but with Eoin Morgan’s retirement earlier this year, it’s possible that he forces his way into the side elsewhere in the middle order.

Ben Stokes

He might have retired from ODI cricket earlier this year, but really Stokes has England in the palm of his hand, and rightly so. Whatever cricket he chooses to play, he will be selected. He could not play any ODI cricket up until the end of next summer and still be in the starting XI in India. If Matthew Mott’s comments after the T20 World Cup final are anything to go by, England are hoping it’s a soft retirement. Playing some ODI cricket rather than all could be an attractive option for Stokes. It lets him have the flexibility to rest his body and mind when needed, while also turning out for England when it matters, as demonstrated by his role in the T20 World Cup. This year’s schedule may allow this too. England aren’t scheduled to play a Test for at least five months from the end of the 2023 Ashes so it’s not as if his calendar is particularly packed in the second half of next year. It’s a World Cup and it’s Stokes, if willing, he has to play.

Liam Livingstone

Livingstone gets the nod over Moeen Ali. A tough call, but Moeen’s numbers with both bat and ball have been in decline for a while now in ODIs. His batting strike rate has been well below 100 for several years, hardly the explosive finisher of old. Livingstone offers that ability to finish an innings that Moeen hasn’t been delivering. Arguably the biggest hitter in world cricket at the moment and a more than useful spinner – he can turn the ball both ways – he can take the game away from a side in just a couple of overs, on a much more regular basis.

Jos Buttler

Captain, double World Cup winner and a true England great, the only thing that could take him out of the tournament is injury.

Sam Curran

If his T20 World Cup form is anything to go by, Curran will be firmly in England’s plans for the World Cup. Transformed from the limited overs bowler he was before an injury break last winter and the player of the tournament in Australia, there’s no reason why he can’t translate that into the ODI arena. Like Stokes, if there’s competition and a trophy on the line, one person you want in your side is Curran.

Chris Woakes

He may have had a lay-off from ODIs for more than a year with injury, but Woakes is England’s best option with the new ball in India. Woakes can genuinely claim to be England’s best-ever ODI bowler, just as good at limiting the strike rate as he is at taking wickets. There is no other England men’s bowler with more five-wicket hauls and on top of that, he has ten four-wicket hauls. He was the leader of England’s attack in 2019 and he should be again in 2023.

Jofra Archer

There’s some positive noise coming out of England’s winter tour preparation around Archer’s fitness for what seems like the first time in a while. It seems ludicrous that he’s only played three ODIs since he bowled that Super Over at Lord’s, but it’s all his body has allowed. However, if he manages to get through training with the Lions in the coming weeks and can reintegrate into the senior side at some point in 2023, as long his body holds together and with some luck, he should be in India. There will be questions over his ability to still bowl as fast and with the same accuracy as he did when he was last in England colours, but we’ll see over the coming months.

Adil Rashid

The first name on the team sheet after Buttler. Rashid’s T20 World Cup showed him back to his very best, mixing his pace and lengths to great effect. The tournament could be his swansong at 35, a chance for England fans to bask in their greatest-ever leg-spinner for a final time in a global tournament. His numbers in India aren’t the best, with the highest average of anywhere he’s bowled, but his guile and maturity make him the most important player in England’s bowling attack.

Mark Wood

Another “all being well with injuries” candidate, if England can get Wood and Archer fit at the same time it would be a massively intimidating prospect. Wood could fulfil a similar role in 2023 as he did in 2019, bowling in the middle overs and continuing to ramp the pressure on once the ball is older. He’s capable of getting the ball to reverse, which will be beneficial in India, his economy rate has steadily improved over the years and dipped under five an over in the last two. All being well, the not-so-nasty-fasty forms a big part of England’s best bowling attack.