Cricket World Cup 2019: Former Australian captain reckons the English top order as the best at the upcoming World Cup in England and Wales
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Two-time World Cup winning captain, and the present assistant coach of the Australian men’s cricket team, Ricky Ponting has come up with some soothing comments for the English cricket fans.
Ponting, is of the opinion that the English batting depth makes their top-order ‘a force to reckon with’, as it gives them the option to play with more freedom than any other team in the World Cup.
“I think England’s great strength right now in their One-Day team is how deep they bat. That allows all their top-order to play probably with more freedom than most other teams,” Ponting said.
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Terming their home conditions as an added advantage for the hosts, the two-time World Cup champion admitted to the fact that the English side would be the most confident lot. “Someone like a Buttler or (Ben) Stokes or Moeen Ali coming in at 7, 8, 9, allows their top-order to go hard. They are a really confident outfit. They have got great depth in their squad and obviously would be playing in conditions they are very much used to”, exclaimed Ponting.
“Jos Buttler- The danger man for England”
Ponting has asserted that England’s powerhouse batsman at the middle-order- Jos Buttler, would prove to be the danger man for England in their World Cup 2019 campaign.
Having watched Buttler closely during his stint as the coach of the IPL franchise, Mumbai Indians in 2014, of which Jos was a part then, the Aussie legend has seen his development as a cricketer since then. “The dangerman for England is gonna be Jos Buttler. I just watched him develop over the last 2 or 3 years. I had a chance to coach him at Mumbai Indians 3 or 4 seasons ago when he was really sort of starting to make his mark in international cricket,” Ponting was quoted as saying in a video posted at Cricket Australia website.
“What he has done in the last 12 to 18 months whether in a T20, One-Day game or a Test match for England, it’s really outstanding. So, Jos Buttler is England’s dangerman for me”, Ponting added.
The England Cricket Board (ECB) announced their final squad for the World Cup on Tuesday. With Jofra Archer included in the squad, England add on to their batting strength down till no.9 or even no.10.
With batsmen like Buttler, Moeen Ali, Ben Stokes and Chris Woakes in the middle-order, England boast of a really sound batting order, all of whom with the reputation of tearing the bowling attack apart on their day.
They will begin their campaign in the Tournament opener against the formidable South Africans on May 30, 2019.
