Their main issue is likely to be a lack of familiarity with the format, given List A county cricket has run parallel to the Hundred since 2021, coupled with ODIs falling to the bottom of England’s pecking order; that in turn has hampered the “role definition” that was essential to Morgan’s winning team.
“I think they’re getting more towards that role definition,” Woakes said. “We were lucky, heading into 2019, we had a lot of ODIs … and we’d won a lot of games. We’d played a hell of a lot, we’d been through every scenario, so we were kind of ready for it. This team probably aren’t going to have the same amount, which doesn’t mean that they can’t go on to win it, it just means their role clarity, they need to define that a little bit quicker.
“It feels like they’re moving in the right direction with that. It wasn’t long ago, with the ODI team in particular, it didn’t look great: there was a lot of losses, didn’t really have a style. But it feels like now, obviously Brendon [McCullum] fully in charge – and I think he’s looking at it as if to say, ‘We have a real opportunity and have to make this a priority’. And rightly so, winning World Cups is massive.
“You look down the team, there’s serious players, led by Harry – who I think could easily be England’s best-ever batter, he’s that good. If he has a tournament like he could, any team could win. It looks like they’ve got an attack that can take wickets. Josh Tongue, Gus Atkinson, Jamie Overton… Spin, I think they’ve got options, the ball going both ways. Obviously you’ve got Adil [Rashid] still going, still doing it really well. He’ll have a big role to play.
“It feels like they have got a lot of bases covered, and if they can win games and get that role clarity between now and leading into that World Cup, I think they’ve got a hell of a shout.”
“He just made it look easy. In a chase which was really tricky, in terms of the size of it, playing against Australia, home ground and the way he kept his emotions [in check] – not only the quality of his batting, but kept himself in the zone. There’s loads of shots you look at and go ‘There’s not many people can do that.’
“I think it’s more so seeing a lot of his cricket recently, particularly this summer when, in the Hundred, I was looking at having to play him. I was like ‘Oh my god, I’m going to have to play against this guy. He’s not on my side.’ And you start to think, ‘Jeez, this guy is next level.’ There’s moments when you see some of the shots he’s played… He’s unbelievable, and when people do things like he’s capable of doing, and you see him doing it against serious bowling attacks, you take notice.”
His autobiography, The Wizard, is released this week, in which he reflects on a 15-year career with England that saw him debut under Andy Flower and go on to play a significant part in the “Bazball” era, which included winning the Compton-Miller medal as player of the 2023 Ashes, as well as his success with the white-ball teams. Unsurprisingly, the 2019 World Cup remains his most-cherished memory.
“It really is the standout piece of my career, going on that journey from after the 2015 World Cup through to 2019 with that team, that group of players, that management, Morgs as captain. That was as enjoyable a time as I’ve had playing for England … That team felt like we were building a journey together, building to something more special. Obviously that end goal was the 2019 World Cup, and I still to this day don’t know how we got over the line. But the stars were aligned and it was meant to be. That is comfortably the most rewarding, and the best time I’ve had on a cricket field and off it.”
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