ICC World Cup 2019 – Match 38: ENG vs IND – England Predicted Playing XI

Not many, in their wildest of dreams, would have expected that England would struggle for a semi-final spot. They were termed the ‘favourites’ even before the tournament began and people surely believed that they will be in the top-four. However, such is the format of the World Cup 2019 that there is hardly any room for error. The Brits lost two games in a row now and are sitting on the edge.

They’ll need at least one win in the rest of their two games to fancy a chance. But their semi-final spot would only be sealed only if they win their remaining two games against India and New Zealand. Both these teams have been terrific so far in the tournament and defeating them won’t be easy. The Englishmen need to put up their best possible efforts to make it through.

Here is Predicted Playing XI for England

Openers (Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow)

England might make a change to their opening combination for this game. Ever since Jason Roy was ruled out, the side seemed to have struggled. Roy has been in spectacular form and has done a bulk of scoring for the side. With him having got enough of a break now, he is likely to return for this crucial encounter.

Roy will replace James Vince who hasn’t had the best of times. Jonny Bairstow will open the innings with Roy. Bairstow failed in both the last two matches and has got some catching up to do. He is expected to play a big knock in the next game.

Middle Order (Joe Root, Eoin Morgan (c), Jos Buttler (wk))

England could have easily chased down the targets against Sri Lanka and Australia. However, without contributions from Joe Root and Eoin Morgan, it is tough for them to get there. Both these players looked slightly off-target in the last two matches and they must get back to their best soon.

The bigger concern, though, has been Jos Buttler. In the last three innings where he batted, the wicketkeeper-batsman registered scores of 2, 10 and 25. England has banked a great deal on him while chasing targets. Buttler should realise that soon and should not let the pressure get the better of him.

All Rounders (Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes)

Ben Stokes is doing a fabulous job with the bat. When most of his teammates have struggled, he stood out in both the last two matches and got into the 80s. With the ball, he delivered economical spells and even got some crucial wickets. Thus, he remains to be one of the most important members of this side and will need to be at his best once again against India.

While Moeen Ali has been economical with the ball, he hasn’t picked a large number of wickets. There aren’t many left-handers in the Indian batting line-up. Thus, his role will be to contain the batsmen and restrict the run flow. Chris Woakes will operate with the new ball and it’ll be a great advantage if he can pick some wickets early on.

Bowlers (Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood)

Jofra Archer and Mark Wood will have their task cut out in the game against India. They’ll need to be at their best given that the Indian batsmen have been in great form of late. If their top-three batsmen are subjected to some pressure, England will surely be one step ahead in the game.

A choice has to be made between Adil Rashid and Liam Plunkett. Some of the Indian middle-order batsmen like MS Dhoni have had troubles against leg-spin. Thus, it is a great opportunity for England to keep a check on the scoring rates with some tight overs in the middle. Therefore, Adil Rashid might be preferred.