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The World Cup is here. And what better way to start
this 45-day cricket festival than by pitting the finalists of the last World Cup
against each other, some 4 years and 3 months off that fateful day at Lords? The
world will be watching with bated breath as both these cricketing giants will
be looking to set the record straight in what is going to be a marathon of a tournament.
England, the defending champions will be looking to
make a statement at the start itself to show that the defending champions will
not make it easy for the chasing pack to take away their crown. They have the
quality, the talent, the experience, and the depth to go all the way.
In this article, we look at the 3 England players who
could play a key role in tomorrow’s curtain-raiser at Ahmedabad
Dawid Malan
The 36-year-old is currently the second-oldest member
in this English squad but has earned his keep in the final 15 on the back of
some sensational performances in the preceding ODIs coming into the tournament.
He also has the luxury of runs against the Kiwis- 277 runs in the recent series
that included 2 fifties and a hundred. Malan does not exactly mesh with this
England side, but he has made it his aim to prove a point. He enters into this tournament
as England’s most in-form ODI batter- 5 centuries in 21 innings at an average
of 61 is nothing short of sensational. The southpaw will know that a good first
impression will go a long way not only for him but for England.
Mark Wood.
There are a handful of fast bowlers that make express
pace bowling look aesthetically pleasing, and Mark Wood is at the forefront of
this list. The 33-year-old has been literally bubble-wrapped so that he enters
this tournament on the back of a clean bill of health. Wood is a key component
of this English bowling attack, and on an Ahmedabad surface that always has
something for the seamers in the early exchanges, the sight of Wood steaming in
would definitely not be a pretty sight for the Kiwi batters.
Adil Rashid
Eoin Morgan has picked him to be the highest wicket-taker
in this World Cup, and it is safe to see why. Adil Rashid for the longest time
has been England’s most reliable and consistent wicket-taker in the middle
overs of the game. The leggie has a big bag of tricks up his sleeve and in Indian
conditions, he will always be a threat. While he does not have the best of
records against the Kiwis, past records go out of the window in the World Cup.