Can England deliver once again?

After an already sensational year or so for English cricket, can the current crop of England stars make it two Ashes series win's and two World Cup's in the space of 19 months? It may well be our best ever opportunity to do so.

The 2009 Ashes series win in August 09 was successful enough, but it was then followed up by victory in the 2010 Twenty20 World Cup in the West Indies in May of last year, which was England's first ever World Series win since it was introduced at the same time as One Day Internationals (ODI's). If that wasn't enough for the England fans, the players have delivered again by cruising to a 3-1 Ashes win in Australia in January. However, one competition still stands as one that England have never won, the 50 over World Cup.



Captain Strauss: can become the
first England captain to win
the World Cup

 This year it will be held in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Traditionally England have never found it easy to play ODI's on the Sub-Continent. This is mainly due to past England teams relying on the ball to move around to be able to take wickets and also past batsman's lack of ability to bat on slow, low surfaces. However, with England's new policy of fear-less batting, introduced by coach Andy Flower, which has lead to all of England's recent success in limited over cricket, may be a huge advantage in the up and coming competition.



Prior: looking to be a
threat at the top
of the order



On the Sub-Continent, the ball doesn't tend to swing as much as it does in other parts of the world, which means that the England batsmen won't be going out to bat with the fear that the ball might do something off the seam that might cause them to get out. This means, with players such as Kevin Pietersen, England can get off to a quick start with the bat, which immediately will put the opposition under pressure, whether England are batting first or second. Captain Andrew Strauss has developed his game and is now a threat at the top of the order and can score quickly, which could hurt many sides. Matt Prior will more than likely open with Strauss after his surprise inclusion in the squad and he has the ability to score runs quickly to put the opposition under pressure from the off. Kevin Pietersen will always be a threat as his ability to either keep the scoreboard ticking or accelerate at a huge pace, gives England a very strong top order.Paul Collingwood is likely to bat at 4 as he can keep the runs ticking over if England are to start poorly or he can score quick runs at the end of an innings. Ian Bell is another player who has adapted his game to one day cricket and now plays with a freedom that will give England's middle order more threat.  Eoin Morgan has become a super star in one day cricket recently and his ability to finish off inning's could be a key feature to England's batting as often there will be situations where England will be chasing a total with limited overs left in the game.

Anderson: key to England's
bowling attack

As well as the batting, the one day bowling attack is now settled and they are all performing at their best. James Anderson has now developed the ability to take wickets on pitches that don't offer much for the bowlers, as seen in Australia this year. Stuart Broad has always had the knack of taking wickets in any conditions, which is a vital piece of armory in any attack. Tim Bresnan has recently shone in the Twenty20 World Cup and also in Australia, with his aggressive style of bowling and accurate lines and lengths. One fast bowling spot will be up for grabs however, with Chris Woakes (impressive in the Twenty20 series in Australia), Chris Tremlett (back on the England scene after huge performances in the 2010/11 Ashes) and Steven Finn who was left out of the last two Ashes tests for Tim Bresnan, but is still a promising young bowler who can cause the worlds best batsmen problems.

Swann: he and Yardy need
to be in form for England's
hopes to become reality

As for the spin attack, this will potentially be crucial for England in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Michael Yardy was a vital part of the Twenty20 winning side and will again be vital with his darty left arm spinners that can bamboozle any batsmen. Finally of course we have Graeme Swann, who has been hugely consistent for England the past few years, and his attacking off-spin will be a massive weapon for England. As well as being able to attack batsmen, he can also keep the run rate down with efficient and accurate bowling.

Therefore, looking briefly at the players England are likely to play throughout the World Cup, it is a distinct possibility that England can mount a challenge to become World Champions in 2011.