James Taylor Backs England to Win 2019 ICC World Cup

The former England batsman, James Taylor believes the country’s disastrous outing in the last edition of the ICC World Cup could catalyse a title challenge in 2019.

Taylor, who was forced to retire in 2016 because of a severe heart condition, was a part of the team that had failed to progress ahead of the group stage in the last World Cup.

The embarrassing exit was sealed with the defeat at the hands of Bangladesh. However, England’s fortunes have remarkably changed in ODIs since that disaster.

A few months after the World Cup exit, England scored their first-ever 400-plus total in the ODIs against Pakistan.

And that was the precursor of the things that were to follow. Three years later, the Eoin Morgan-led side is the most feared ODI team in the world. The likes of Jason Roy, Alex Hales, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler have made England a force to reckon with in the 50-over format.

Their recent achievement is the historic 5-0 whitewash over arch-rivals Australia. During the series, they had scored 481 for six in the third ODI to shatter their record of highest-ever ODI total.

The current world number ODI side’s stunning form has made many believe they can go all the way in next year’s World Cup. And Taylor is also one of them.

“Unfortunately we were pretty poor in 2015, but in 2019 we’ve got an unbelievable opportunity to win this tournament,” said Taylor.

“We’re the No. 1 ranked side in the world, and we’ve learnt so much from all the disappointments of 2015, and I think that’s why England cricket is the force it is at the minute,” he added.

While Taylor admits the disappointment at failing to reach the knockout stage in 2015, he was immensely proud to represent his country on the biggest stage of all. Taylor had scored 98 against Australia on his World Cup debut.

“I was very fortunate to be in the 2015 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand,” he said.

“It’s something as a player growing up in cricket that you aspire to be a part of – one of those global events. Some of the best teams in the world coming together, fighting for the trophy, it’s a real honour to be a part of.

“There’s so much preparation that goes in, from the players, but also from the staff and management; everybody with the ECB. It’s not just a two-week push before the World Cup; there’s so much in the years before, the build-up, it’s a massive team effort to try and win the World Cup.”

Meanwhile,  England will take on South Africa in the World Cup-opener on May 30, 2019, at The Oval in London.

The tournament will last for 45 days with 48 matches scheduled. The format for the 2019 edition will see ten best teams in the world going head-to-head in a round-robin format.

The tournament will culminate with the fifth final at the iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground on July 14.