Who’s the back-up spinner? How do you replace Stokes? England’s 2023 World Cup squad, predicted

ODIs have been the neglected middle sibling of international cricket since the 2019 World Cup, falling well behind T20 cricket in terms of prevalence among the top teams. Elite players are often rested for ODI series while even the best uncapped players are regularly occupied with franchise cricket rather than the less glamorous domestic 50-over competitions.

Despite all that there is no cricket tournament quite like a 50-over World Cup. With fewer than two months to go until the first game of the tournament, here is an early stab at a predicted 15-man England squad:

Nine of the XV spots are almost certainly going to be occupied by members of the 2019 squad. Jonny Bairstow, Jason Roy, Joe Root, Jos Buttler, Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Mark Wood and Adil Rashid will travel to India if fit. Roy’s spot was under threat after a poor 2022, but despite losing his place for the T20 World Cup last year, he has always been superior player in the longer white-ball format. Hundreds earlier this year in South Africa and Bangladesh allayed concerns over the permanence of his drop in form and his decision to cancel his white-ball central contract to pursue new franchise opportunities will have no bearing on his availability for the tournament.

That leaves six spots. Dawid Malan has been a relentless run-scorer in the ODI team in recent times, capitalising on every opportunity thrown his way. He has four ODI hundreds in four different countries and couldn’t have done more to press forward his case. How he fits into an XI with Bairstow, Roy and Root all available remains to be seen – it may be that it becomes a straight shootout between him and Roy for the second opener’s berth.

Harry Brook has only played three ODIs but such is his talent and speed of development over the past year – and the fact that England have holes in the middle order brought about by the retirements of Eoin Morgan and Ben Stokes that need filling – means that he is another near certainty to go to India. As is Liam Livingstone, whose more-than-handy spin may become essential in balancing the side out.

That leaves three more spots. Sam Curran, the player of the tournament in England’s T20 World Cup win last year, is another near certainty to go. Curran is yet to establish himself in a particular role in ODI cricket but his big-game prowess and significant experience in India will be valued.

Presuming that Archer, Wood and Woakes – again, if fit – make up that the seam attack, there will be at least one place available for an out and out back-up seamer. There are several candidates but the frontrunner should be Reece Topley. He has an excellent ODI record and offers an obvious point of difference with his left-arm angle and considerable height.

That leaves one more spot and depending where England feel like they need cover, that’s likely to be between Ben Duckett and Will Jacks. Neither are particularly experienced in ODI cricket but would be valuable additions. Duckett had an outstanding limited overs tour of Pakistan in 2022 and should suit conditions. He is also the most likely left-handed middle-order option and right-hand/left-hand combinations is something that England have historically valued; Malan has almost exclusively batted in the top three in ODI cricket.

Jacks, meanwhile, is an outstanding T20 opener but has limited experience doing the job in 50-over cricket. In his two ODI appearances so far, both earlier this year in Bangladesh, Jacks batted six and bowled at least half of his allocation of overs. It’s a role similar to the one fulfilled by Livingstone in ODI cricket – with series against Ireland and New Zealand to come before England travel to India, it’s not impossible that Jacks edges his way above Livingstone in the pecking order. Phil Salt, who has played 14 ODIs in the last two years, could provide back-up at the top of the order and with the gloves if need be.

Liam Dawson was a non-playing member of the 2019 World Cup-winning squad and it’s not impossible that despite only playing a handful of ODIs since Morgan lifted the trophy at Lord’s that he is included as a back-up spinner should England look to balance their side slightly differently. Rehan Ahmed, who debuted on the Bangladesh tour earlier this year, would be closer to a like-for-like back-up to Rashid, but he would be more than a risk.

This hypothetical squad assumes that everyone will be fully fit. If the last year or so of English cricket is anything to go by, that is a fanciful wish. If there are injuries in the seam department there will be an interesting shootout between prospective fast bowlers around the country. A year or so ago Saqib Mahmood would have been a frontrunner but he has been plagued by injuries, Olly Stone likewise.

David Willey is a regular in most England ODI squads but it’s hard to see how he commands a place in a group that already has left-arm options in Curran and Topley. Brydon Carse has played nine ODIs since his debut in July 2021 and has been touted as someone who could potentially fulfil the middle overs enforcer role once filled by Liam Plunkett, while Craig Overton, Matt Potts, David Payne, Luke Wood and Chris Jordan have all played ODI cricket for England in the last year or so. Gus Atkinson, the Surrey and Oval Invincibles speedster, has caught the eye with his performances across formats in 2023 and is understood to have admirers within the England set-up. It is not impossible that he forces his way into contention.

Predicted squad:

Dawid Malan
Jonny Bairstow
Jason Roy
Joe Root
Harry Brook
Jos Buttler
Moeen Ali
Liam Livingstone
Chris Woakes
Mark Wood
Jofra Archer
Adil Rashid
Will Jacks/Ben Duckett
Reece Topley
Sam Curran