Dubai: England have emphatically announced that they are the strong favourites for the ICC World Cup 2019 through a brilliant display of their batting strength against Pakistan.
To chase a target of 359 runs and reach it with 31 balls to spare at Bristol on Tuesday reveals that their batsmen are in top form. Never before has an England team, as hosts of the World Cup four times before, been in such stupendous form. The brilliance with his their top-order batsmen are delivering makes them a threat to any team.
Jonny Bairstow, fresh from the stupendous form he has displayed during the Indian Premier League for Sunrisers Hyderabad, is raring to go. His knock of 51 against Pakistan in the second ODI against Pakistan at Southampton and 128 in the third ODI that helped his team chase the target are instances of his form. He flew in from India for this series with unbeaten knocks of 61 and 80 from the IPL.
Pakistan batsmen too need to be lauded for posting 358 in the third ODI through Inam-ul-Haq’s 151 and also chasing England’s mammoth score of 373-3 in the second ODI through Fakhar Zaman’s knock of 138. England will be happy that Jos Buttler — who cracked 110 in the second ODI — is also in top form.
The ongoing England-Pakistan series and the huge score that are being posted by the team’s reveal that the oncoming World Cup matches might also be high scoring contests.
