NEW DELHI: England, losing finalists at the last edition in 2013, also at home, enter the 2017
ICC Champions Trophy as contenders on the basis of their rapid growth as an ODI team since exiting the 2015 World Cup on a dismal note. They know the conditions, have racked up 300-plus totals with alarming regularity and under
Eoin Morgan have unleashed a series of no-fear cricketers capable of damaging the best teams on any given day.
A powerful batting lineup headlined by the openers Jason Roy and
Alex Hales up front and buttressed by the remarkable skills of Ben Stokes and Joe Buttler down the order, with
Moeen Ali to follow, marks this England squad out as a force to beat. Add a well-rounded pace attack and a canny legspinner in
Adil Rashid - the most successful spin bowler in England over the past five years - and some excellent fielders.
The pressure is on Morgan's team being hosts and having won five of their past six ODI series, which as history shows has not sat well with past England outfits. There is also the fact that England have not been able to beat India, South Africa or Australia in their most recent ODI series. All told, the
Champions Trophy is England's tournament to lose.
SQUAD: Eoin Morgan (capt),
Jos Buttler (wk),
Jonny Bairstow, Alex Hales, Jason Roy, Moeen Ali, Joe Root, Sam Billings, Jake Ball, Adil Rashid,
Liam Plunkett, Ben Stokes, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood
Likely starting XI: 1 Jason Roy, 2 Alex Hales, 3 Joe Root, 4 Eoin Morgan (capt), 5 Ben Stokes, 6 Moeen Ali, 7 Jos Buttler (wk), 8 Adil Rashid, 9 Liam Plunkett, 10 David Willey, 11 Mark Wood
Matches: June 1 v Bangladesh, London; June 6 v New Zealand; June 10 v Australia, Birmingham
Past record: 1998 - quarter-finalists; 2000 - quarter-finalists; 2002 - league stage; 2004 - finalists; 2006 - league stage; 2009 - semi-finalists; 2013 - finalists.
Most runs: Marcus Trescothick (421)
Most wickets: James Anderson (21)
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