This is without doubt the best chance England have ever had of winning a World Cup — and I fully expect them to do so.
The only thing I can see stopping them is if the pitches get a bit slow and tired, like they did in the 2017 Champions Trophy, when they lost to Pakistan in the semi-finals.
The progress they have made since the last World Cup in 2015, which I was involved in, is remarkable. The game had moved forward quickly, but the selectors and the players did not. But they've made up for it over the past four years, and it's right that they go into this tournament as favourites.
Stuart Broad gives the lowdown on the England squad ahead of the World Cup this summer
Age: 32 ODIs: 199 Runs: 6,233
Ave: 40.21 Runs per over: 5.60
He's a calm character, and to the outside world he can come across as unemotional. But don't be fooled. Eoin is strong and he's not afraid to make tough decisions. He's one of the main reasons England are going into this World Cup as favourites. Socially, he can be the life and soul. He, Jimmy Anderson and I share a racehorse called Elysium Dream, and I can assure you that when she's running he's anything but the cool leader you see on the field. He's got a good outlook on life, and that helps his cricket.
Jason RoyAge: 28 ODIs: 76 Runs: 2,938
Ave: 40.80 Runs per over: 6.38
I believe Jason holds the key. To win this World Cup, you'll need your batsmen to fire, and he can produce a match-winning innings out of nowhere. It won't bother me if he makes a few low scores, because he can be so destructive when he turns it on. He hits 360 degrees, and since he was dropped during the Champions Trophy in 2017, his game has gone through the roof.
Age: 29 ODIs: 63 Runs: 2,329
Ave: 47.53 Runs per over: 6.42
It sometimes feels as if Jonny doesn't quite realise how good he is — or how good his team-mates think he is. He's intense and can be really hard on himself, but that's what drives him. He goes under the radar in England's one-day team, but when you see him dominate the IPL in the way he did, you wonder how that's possible. His opening partnerships with Roy must strike the fear of God into bowlers.
Joe RootAge: 28 ODIs: 132 Runs: 5,300
Ave: 50.47 Runs per over: 5.23
He's crucial to the way this team plays. Will he score 170 off 110 balls? Probably not? But will he make 100 off 100, and allow the others to go berserk around him? Absolutely. He's very hard to bowl a dot ball to and before you know it he's got 30 on the board and you don't know how he did it. He averages 50 in one-day cricket and barely seems to play a shot in anger.
Jos ButtlerAge: 28 ODIs: 131 Runs: 3,531
Ave: 41.54 Runs per over: 7.17
Jos is one of those guys who gets people turning on the TV when he's batting — probably more so than any other player in the team. You drop everything you're doing, which is the biggest compliment I can pay him. He's just got that X-factor, and he's developed amazing consistency. I can't remember the last time he got out to his favourite ramp shot. He's also the most modest superstar you could meet.
Jos Buttler is one of those guys who gets people turning on the TV when he's batting
Age: 27 ODIs: 84 Runs: 2,217
Ave: 37.57 Runs per over: 5.65
I wouldn't worry that he's had a quiet build-up to the tournament. He's a big-game player and he's been trusted with a crucial role in the middle order. As he discovered in the ODI against Pakistan at Trent Bridge, it will often be up to him to finish off the chase after the guys at the top have scored the big runs. Stokesy could be England's Lance Klusener, the South African, who starred in the 1999 World Cup.
James VinceAge: 28 ODIs: 10 Runs: 225
Ave: 28.12 Runs per over: 5.44
He can look relaxed, especially when he's playing that dreamy cover-drive, but James is a tough
