Michael Vaughan (capt)
Age: 32
Right-hand bat, right-arm occasional off spin bowler
Average: 27.70
Strike rate: 68.48.
Vaughan's ability as a captain was evident when he returned to the
one-day side after a year out of international cricket through
injury for the tri-series with Australia and New Zealand this year.
His presence also lifted the pressure on stand-in skipper Andrew
Flintoff, who recaptured much of his old form. On the debit side,
Vaughan's form was modest, as is his overall limited overs record,
and he has been fit for only three of England's last 35 one-day
internationals.
James Anderson
Age: 24
Right-arm medium-fast bowler
Economy rate: 4.83
Made his initial impact in one-day cricket, producing a
match-winning performance against Pakistan at the 2003 World Cup
and taking the first one-day hat-trick by an England bowler at home
later in the year against South Africa. As he showed in the
tri-series he is capable of genuine pace and late swing but has
been troubled by injuries and inconsistency, partly as a result of
attempts to remodel a naturally whippy action to alleviate the
strain on his back.
Ian Bell
Age: 24
Right-hand bat, right-arm occasional medium pace bowler
Average: 37.80
Strike rate: 70.22
Economy rate: 6.00
A one-day average in the late 30s is testament to Bell's
ability, a strike rate of 70 indicates he can struggle to impose
himself on the bowling with his essentially orthodox technique. His
gentle medium-pace bowling is and he is a safe catcher.
Ravinder Bopara
Age: 21
Right-hand bat, right-arm medium pace bowler
Won selection ahead of opener Mal Loye after making his England
one-day debut in the 92-run tri-series win over Australia. A
top-order batsman and useful medium-pace bowler who earned a
professional contract with Essex at the age of 17.
Paul Collingwood
Age: 30
Right-hand bat, right-arm medium pace bowler
Average: 34.05
Strike rate: 73.67
Economy rate: 4.99
Like former Australia captain Steve Waugh, with whom he has been
favourably compared, Collingwood made his initial reputation in the
one-day game before eventually securing a test place. A spectacular
fielder at backward point or in the covers, Collingwood is a useful
medium-pace bowler and intelligent batsman who works the ball
around cleverly. After a form slump in Australia after his 206 in
the Adelaide test, he was primarily responsible for England's upset
win in the tri-series.
Jamie Dalrymple
Age: 26
Right-hand bat, right-arm off spin bowler
Average: 21.86
Strike rate: 74.00
Economy rate: 4.59
Made a promising start to his international career during the 2006
season with consistent performances without suggesting he is
anything more than a useful bits-and-pieces all rounder.
Andrew Flintoff
Age: 29
Right-hand bat, right-arm fast bowler
Average: 32.52
Strike rate: 88.33
Economy rate: 4.39
After an inauspicious start to his international career, Flintoff
has matured into the world's most exciting and successful all
rounder. An accurate and aggressive fast bowler who relies on
strength rather than rhythm, he was England's most economical
bowler at the 2003 World Cup. At its best his batting, as his
strike rate shows, can be brutally effective.
Ed Joyce
Age: 28
Left-hand batsman
Average: 26.58
Strike rate: 65.36.
Dublin-born batsman who has joined Middlesex colleagues Andrew
Strauss and Jamie Dalrymple in the England one-day side. A prolific
scorer at county level who scored two hundreds and two 50s at the
2005 ICC Trophy to ensure Ireland qualified for the World Cup.
Secured his own World Cup place for his adopted country by scoring
a composed and correct century against Australia when England
started their dramatic recovery in the tri-series after failing to
win a game on tour until that date.
Jon Lewis
Age: 31
Right-arm medium-fast bowler
Strike rate: 3.99
Good county player who can move the ball away late from the bat in
English conditions but was thought to be too short of pace to
succeed at the top level. Owes his selection to his ability to put
the new ball in the right place, although he suffered an ankle
injury during the tri-series and is selected subject to passing a
fitness test.
Sajid Mahmood
Age: 25
Right-arm fast-medium bowler
Economy rate: 6.01
Capable of reverse swing at high speed from an athletic, relaxed
action but can also be expensively erratic. Mobile in the field and
a clean striker of the ball in the lower order with the potential
to become a good one-day all rounder. Had a poor Ashes series in
Australia before doing just enough in the tri-series to secure a
World Cup place.
Paul Nixon
Age: 36
Left-hand bat, wicketkeeper
Average: 11.55
Strike rate: 67.97
Any hope of an England career for Paul Nixon seemed to disappear
after his one tour as Alec Stewarts's deputy on the 2000-01 trip to
Pakistan and Sri Lanka before he was then unexpectedly recalled for
this year's tri-series in Australia. Nixon's cause was helped by
his versatility in Twenty/20 and he yielded nothing to the
Australians in the verbal exchanges.
Monty Panesar
Age: 24
Slow left-arm orthodox
Economy rate: 4.60
A year ago nobody including Monty Panesar would have dreamed he
would be a member of England's World Cup squad. In fact such were
the doubts over his fielding that few gave him much chance of ever
making the test side. But Panesar's fielding has improved while his
high-class left arm spin and infectious enthusiasm make him
indispensable in both forms of the game.
Kevin Pietersen
Age: 26
Right-hand bat, occasional right-arm off break bowler
Average: 56.50
Strike rate: 95.17.
Pietersen's confidence, audacity and range of strokes make him one
of the most dangerous one-day batsmen in the world. Made a
sensational start to his international career after switching
allegiance from his native South Africa, averaging 104 in three
one-day innings in Zimbabwe in 2004 and three centuries in the
subsequent one-day series in South Africa in front of hostile
crowds. He followed up by successfully targeting Jason Gillespie in
the two one-day series against Australia to win a place in the test
side for the Ashes series ahead of Graham Thorpe.
Liam Plunkett
Age: 21
Right-arm fast-medium bowler, right-hand batsman
Economy rate: 5.82
Confined to the nets for the Ashes section of the Australia tour
before he was given his chance in the tri-series. Bowled with
genuine pace and late swing, taking 12 wickets, including a
match-winning spell in the second final.
Andrew Strauss
Age: 29
Left-hand bat
Average: 32.66
Strike rate: 76.26
After a splendid start to his test career against New Zealand in
2004, Strauss enjoyed a successful Ashes series the following year
with two centuries and then led England to a 3-0 test series win
over Pakistan last year in the absence of Vaughan and Flintoff. But
he then endured a slump in the ensuing Ashes series and could not
strike any form in the tri-series.
Duncan Fletcher
Age: 58
Coach
Fletcher's key achievement as a player was to lead Zimbabwe to an
upset victory over Australia at the 1983 World Cup before they had
achieved test status. He was the first foreigner and non-test
player to coach England and fully justified his selection with the
2005 Ashes victory. But while England's test performances have
improved the one-day side has gone backwards despite their
unexpected success in the recent tri-series.
