By Dom Harris
With England staring down the barrel of a heavy defeat against New Zealand in the third Test, Brendon McCullum could perhaps be forgiven for starting to look ahead to his newly-extended role as he takes the reins of the white-ball set-up from 2025.
In what is a highly-anticipated year for the Test side, culminating in an Ashes series Down Under in November, attention begins with England’s white-ball side.
They will travel to India in January for a T20 and ODI series, before heading over to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy event scheduled to begin on February 19.
England’s white-ball teams have come under pressure in recent years.
They suffered a third consecutive one-day series defeat in the West Indies last month, including a 13th ODI loss in their last 20 matches.
Underwhelming defences
That followed two underwhelming defences of their respective World Cup titles from 2019 and 2022 which called time on Matthew Mott’s tenure as head coach and raised questions around England’s attitude and approach to the one-day format in particular.
The pint-sized 50-over tournament returns for the first time since Pakistan triumphed over India in 2017.
Whilst it may not rank as a priority for most of the eight nations involved, it still represents a major ICC event in which England have yet to taste success over the previous eight installments.
The build-up has been overshadowed by matters off the field, with India refusing to travel to Pakistan where they have not played since 2008 due to political tensions.
Urgent board meetings to resolve the issue have proposed a hybrid model for India to play their fixtures in Dubai, so an official tournament schedule has still yet to be released.
With the 50-over leg of the West Indies tour in November providing only more questions than answers, we take a look at how Jos Buttler’s side could line up to take on Australia, South Africa and Afghanistan in Group B.
READ MORE: Ben Stokes hit by fresh injury blow as England toil in third Test
Who will open the England batting?
The composition of England’s top order across all formats is proving a major talking point.
Phil Salt and Will Jacks were given the opportunity during the three games in the Caribbean with mixed success.
Salt – who recently referenced his desire to play more domestic 50-over cricket – looked in good touch with two half-centuries, whilst Jacks struggled with a top score of just 19 and has yet to fully showcase his talent on the international stage.
With Buttler seemingly looking to lead on the field from mid-off in the absence of experienced heads such as Moeen Ali and Chris Jordan, Salt would also be the main contender to take the gloves going forward.
Likely partner
Ben Duckett would be the likely partner for Salt at the top of the order.
The pair formed the opening partnership for the five-match series against Australia in September, in which Duckett scored a century and two more scores above 50 at a typically-swift rate.
Having missed the West Indies series due to Test commitments, Duckett would also be favoured in Pakistan conditions with his ability to play spin bowling and offer England a desirable right-left-hand combination with Salt.
Jacks’ two half-centuries against Australia at number three provides another option for McCullum, whilst the Surrey man’s handy off-spin makes him a useful member of the squad as the spare top-order batter at the least.
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What about Joe Root and Ben Stokes?
The future of England’s leading run-scorer and Test captain remains unclear in the shorter formats of the game.
Neither Root or Stokes have played a 50-over game since the 2023 World Cup, but selector Luke Wright insisted they were both still firmly in contention.
Ben Stokes also declared interest in extending his white-baller career under McCullum, but will now be a major fitness doubt after leaving the field with what appears to be a recurrence of a hamstring injury during day three of the third Test in Hamilton.
Whilst the full extent of his injury will be announced in the coming days, Stokes – who already withdrew from the IPL auction to prolong his international career – may not be risked even as a specialist batter ahead of key Test series against India and Australia later in the year.
As for Joe Root, who was rested for the series against Australia, the expectation is that his quality and experience would be foolish to be overlooked.
Root only averaged 30.66 across the group stage at the 2023 World Cup, attributed to his lack of preparation in the format.
Whilst the same problems may arise here, it would be hoped a stint at the SA20 in January – before joining up with England for the ODI series in India – would provide enough opportunity to rediscover his white-ball form.
Making room for young guns
With a congested calendar and moving on from the likes of Jonny Bairstow, England have increasingly given opportunities to their plethora of domestic talent.
However, the potential recall of Root and Stokes to join captain Buttler and star man Harry Brook in the middle-order provides a challenge to find room for the likes of Jacob Bethell and Jamie Smith.
Bethell announced himself in international cricket with a number of eye-catching displays against Australia and West Indies, before earning his Test debut in New Zealand.
Guaranteed selection
Whilst his better performances have come in T20 and Test matches to date, the left-hander’s form and versatility in the batting order – in addition to his ability to bowl spin – makes him an almost guaranteed selection in the squad.
Smith has quickly established himself as the first-choice Test wicketkeeper, despite missing the New Zealand tour on paternity leave.
His early exposure to ODI cricket has yet to yield a return of note with an average of just 22.16.
But his displays in Test cricket suggest he will be a multi-format international player for many years to come.
His position in the ODI side for now, though, is likely to depend on the return of more experienced players.
Opportunity knocks
Dan Mousley and Rehan Ahmed will be hoping for opportunities to impress on the India tour to force their way into the squad.
Liam Livingstone has emerged as the frontline spin all-rounder to support Adil Rashid, following the retirement of Moeen Ali, but Mousley and Ahmed provide healthy competition in that department.
Jordan Cox failed to take his chance at number three against West Indies and injury prevented him from having the opportunity to impress in the Test side, so it is likely this tournament will come too soon for the Essex batter.
Managing the pace attack
England’s pace bowling department has been hampered by long-term and recurring injuries, making it an almost impossible task to predict who will even be fit on the eve of the tournament.
A busy winter schedule and crunch Test series on the horizon could also influence the decision by the selectors.
However, given the tournament is only a maximum of five games in length and Wright stated England want to be “as strong as possible”, we can assume the big names will not be rested if fully fit.
All eyes will be on Jofra Archer, who had a productive 2024 in terms of games played for England and appears close to a full recovery.
Breakthrough players
Brydon Carse and Gus Atkinson have been two of England’s breakthrough players this year with their performances in the Test arena, with both expected to be called upon for their white-ball skills despite a busy Winter of touring.
Mark Wood missed the Pakistan and New Zealand Test series due to an elbow injury which has ruled him out until early 2025, giving him a race against the clock to be fit in time for the Champions Trophy.
Reece Topley’s injury woes continued as he was forced to leave the West Indies tour early with a knee issue.
The tall left-armer provides a valuable variety to the bowling unit, but it is yet to be known how long Topley will be sidelined for.
Left-arm option
Sam Curran would provide a left-arm option in the squad and add depth to England’s batting, despite a recent indifferent record at international level.
His place in the squad could rely heavily on the availability of Stokes as the all-rounder, a role which could also be fulfilled to some extent by Chris Woakes or Jamie Overton.
Matthew Potts could perhaps consider himself a little unlucky not to be more of an England regular across all formats and again will face stiff competition to secure his place.
Saqib Mahmood had an impressive return to an England shirt against Australia and West Indies, with a particularly prosperous display of new-ball bowling in the Caribbean to propel him into strong contention.
Meanwhile, John Turner who made his debut against West Indies would need a highly productive tour of India to feature in the final squad.
