For the majority of the four years since their 2019 triumph, ODI cricket was effectively relegated down their list of priorities and the result was a historically feeble world title defence. 

The build-up to the 2027 World Cup will be different. The majority of the group that went to India will be in their late 30s (at least) by the time the next World Cup comes around, and several older statesmen have already acknowledged the need for wholesale changes to give the next generation the best possible chance of acclimatising to a format they seldom, if at all, play domestically.

England’s series against West Indies next month is the perfect opportunity to start afresh. So who will the new core include? It is likely that there will be very few survivors from the class of 2023. Jos Buttler has stated his desire to continue as captain. It may well be that that decision is taken out of his hands, but it is encouraging that England’s greatest ever white-ball batter wants put the wrongs of the 2023 campaign right, and at the very least help nurture the next crop. 

Adil Rashid has been one of the few England players to enjoy a decent tournament in India, but will be 39 by the time of the next 50-over World Cup in India. Still, like Buttler, his experience will be invaluable as England emerge from the rubble and build the foundations for their next title bid. The precocious Rehan Ahmed will likely be the main man in four years, but predicting the development of young spinners is no exact science. He will surely benefit from sharing a field and dressing room with England’s most decorated post-war leg-spinner. 

Harry Brook, Gus Atkinson and Brydon Carse – who were all recently awarded multi-year central contracts – will surely be involved in the Caribbean and beyond but it is harder to make firm calls on two of the other squad members for whom age won’t be the deciding factor as to whether they’re in South Africa in 2027, Liam Livingstone and Sam Curran. Neither have convinced as either a reliable top seven batter or a bankable option with the ball; England’s inability to convincingly replace Ben Stokes’ previous role as a genuine all-rounder was one of many factors in their downfall in India. Time is on their sides but it is perhaps worth using the West Indies tour as an opportunity to give experience to those who have less 50-over cricket behind them. 

The squad is likely to bear a strong resemblance to the one selected for the home series against Ireland in late September. Should Buttler get the sack, Zak Crawley is a realistic captaincy option, while Will Jacks is the standout young white-ball opening batter in the country and should be given a decent run up top.

Elsewhere, Ollie Pope was first selected for England five and a half years ago, but a combination of Test commitments and injury have restricted his white-ball development – he has the natural game to be Root’s long-term successor at No.3. Ben Duckett, another member of the current Test set-up, is a near certainty to be involved having impressed on his occasional ODI outings in the last year.

Phil Salt, Sam Hain and Jamie Smith, all of whom featured against Ireland, are likely to be in the mix, too. Smith is possible successor to Buttler with the gloves. 

As ever, fitness will determine which seamers emerge as central to England’s plans over the next four years. As well as Atkinson and Carse, Reece Topley, Jofra Archer and Saqib Mahmood are all young enough to feature in 2027. Mahmood has hardly got on the park since his Test debut in early 2022 but it was only the previous summer that he threatened to become central to England’s ODI plans having enjoyed an outstanding series at home to Pakistan. 

Josh Tongue is another recently awarded with a multi-year central contract; he is another whose raw attributes suggest considerable potential in the format. Matt Potts also possesses a two-year central contract so is likely to be in the mix, while Sam Cook has shown enough versatility across formats domestically to get a chance with the new ball. Luke Wood, another who played in the Ireland series, is capable of hitting 90mph and will likely earn further opportunities in both white-ball formats over the next 12 months. England are short on spin options aside of Rehan Ahmed and Tom Hartley with only a handful under the age of 30 in possession of Hundred contracts.