England hope 'Bazball' fires in Champions Trophy

England aim to overcome recent challenges and make a significant impact in the Champions Trophy, hoping to go a step further than their runners-up finish in the 2004 and 2013 editions, but it will take a lot of doing.
In the build-up to the tournament, being hosted at three venues in Pakistan as well as Dubai, England's preparation left a lot to be desired after 3-0 whitewash in the bilateral series against India under coach Brendon McCullum, who was given the charge of England's white-ball teams as well recently.
McCullum's aggressive and fearless approach, famously christened 'Bazball', filled optimism in English cricket that the approach will rejuvenate the T20I and ODI squad as well, but it is yet to show up.
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Notable absent from the 15-member squad is all-rounder Ben Stokes, who continues to recover from a hamstring injury. But the squad heaved a sigh of relief when opener Ben Duckett was declared fit and available, having recovered from the groin injury he picked up during the third ODI against India in Ahmedabad.
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Also, the return of Joe Root to ODIs will add more self-belief to the batting unit.
The squad is led by Jos Buttler, who is set to bat at number three -- a shift designed to maximize his impact and provide stability at the top of the order, while also relieving him from wicketkeeping duties, which can be shared by Phil Salt and Jamie Smith.
However, the leadership credentials of England's white-ball captain are now under scrutiny. The disappointing T20 World Cup defence led to the departure of limited-overs coach Matthew Mott, while Buttler has failed to inspire the team to do anything special after that.

The ODI series in India also highlighted England bowling attack's dependence on leg-spinner Adil Rashid, especially in the subcontinent conditions, while the pace attack is without a left-armer, depending on the express pace of Jofra Archer and Mark Wood.
England have faced 32 defeats and won 29 times in ODIs since their 2019 World Cup triumph, which shows the team's downward trend in form.
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England are in Pool B alongside Australia, Afghanistan and South Africa and will need to finish in the top two to qualify for the semis.