Hunt on for elusive Champions Trophy crown - England team preview

Jos Buttler’s side will walk into the tournament with an intent to right their Champions Trophy record, and to finally break through for a triumph in this tournament, having come agonisingly close under the captaincy of Michael Vaughan (runners-up, 2004) and Alastair Cook (runners-up, 2013).

After an uninspiring run in their 2023 Men’s Cricket World Cup campaign, where they finished seventh, England haven’t had the best of times in ODI cricket, having lost all of their four series in the format since.

However, that can be attributed to the absence of big names in the setup from these encounters. Many of their first-choice players haven’t featured regularly in ODIs, given the intermittent nature of the format (the side has played only 13 ODIs between the Cricket World Cup and the Champions Trophy- wherein the full-time captain Jos Buttler has featured in only six).

But this time, it's all hands on deck. A full-strength England can pose a good challenge for its opponents.

With new white-ball head coach Brendon McCullum at the helm, having changed the flavour of English Test cricket after taking over in 2022, a title charge is all-too possible.

Buttler, along with Joe Root and the talented Harry Brook, will form the crux of England batting, with fiery Ben Duckett and Phil Salt available for support.

England aren’t short of pace options in Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Mark Wood and Saqib Mahmood, but focus will be on the guile of Adil Rashid, whose leg-spinners can be more than useful in Pakistan and UAE.

Squad:

Jos Buttler (c), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Tom Banton, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Ben Duckett, Jamie Overton, Jamie Smith, Liam Livingstone, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Saqib Mahmood, Phil Salt, Mark Wood

Fixtures:

v Australia, Lahore, 22 February

v Afghanistan, Lahore, 26 February

v South Africa, Karachi, 1 March

Every squad for Champions Trophy

Key Player: Adil Rashid

Adil Rashid is the sole leader of England’s white-ball spin attack since all-rounder Moeen Ali retired last year. And despite being on the wrong end of his 30s, there has been no stopping the tweaker, who has been consistent with the ball across the two white-ball formats.

Given the injury blow to all-rounder Jacob Bethell, only Liam Livingstone and Joe Root remain as slow bowling support acts for Rashid, meaning that the leg-spinner will have to do the bulk of the work in the spin department.

Given the conditions, which can perhaps be more batter-friendly, Rashid can have a key role to play for his side’s fortunes, especially in the middle overs where he will be given the double duty of controlling the scoring rate while also providing key breakthroughs.

As England’s most successful ODI spinner, Rashid will be expected to bring all his experience to the fore.