The hosts are the virtual champions elect in the minds of the the bookies, and the English public certainly expect the trophy to remain at Lord’s.
Eoin Morgan’s team are revolutionising the one-day game, with 400 runs now the old 300.
Within the squad, they even believe they can post 500, such is talent oozing out of the English squad. The only thing that may prove their undoing is the weight of expectation.
The Playmaker: Jason Roy
This is a man on mission. Roy was in the worst form of his life two years ago when the Champions Trophy was held on home soil, culminating in the opener being dropped for the semi-final against Pakistan. England lost in Cardiff, raising doubts whether this hugely-talented squad could deliver when it mattered most.
Roy now wants to have a crack at the ultimate prize after admitting he was “in a bad place” back then.
The dashing right-hander is certainly in a good space now, even dealing with the emotional trauma of a night in hospital with his child to still belt out a century the next day against Pakistan recently.
It was part of a run that earned him the Man of the Series award. Roy is the epitome of how England want to play their no-fear brand of cricket.
Mr Dependable: Joe Root
England’s Test captain may just be his country's best ever ODI batsman, averaging 50.5 from 132 matches. In a team that boasts stroke players from No 1 through to No 11, Root is the glue that holds it all together.
And even though it may appear that he is scoring slower than his batting partners, he rarely goes at less than a run-a-ball. A class act to watch when in full flow, Root possesses one of the most delightful cover drives, while his pull shot is savagely beautiful.
%%%twitter https://twitter.com/hashtag/CWC15?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CWC15
🏏 P88 W58 L23
The Rookie: Tom Curran
Tom Curran provides the youthful energy in this England team. A wholehearted cricketer that plays with his heart on his sleeve, the Surrey youngster runs in hard when he has the ball in his hand, and swings lustily with the willow down the order.
World Cup Squad
Eoin Morgan (captain), Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer,
Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler, Tom Curran, Liam Dawson, Liam Plunkett, Adil
Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, James Vince, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood.
@ZaahierAdams