Injuries can help England prepare better for the World Cup: Alec Stewart
Former England captain and wicket-keeper, Alec Stewart believes that the spate of injuries that have rocked the English squad in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746 would actually work as a blessing in disguise, providing an opportunity of rest to some of the players
besides giving the entire squad and reserves a thorough run before the start of the World Cup next month.
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 feels that the current team has the ability to bounce back from adversity and is thoroughly professional.
He added that the rigours of a big campaign in Australia which included the Ashes win followed by a grueling seven match ODI series is set to test the squad to the fullest yet at the same time it would help a great deal in preparing for
the cricket extravaganza.
"The unfortunate thing is we always go to a World Cup after a long winter, so fatigue is a factor, but you can't hide behind that," Stewart said "They had a tough Ashes series that they built up to and won, and they've now got seven one-day
games before coming home for three days then heading off to http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Bangladesh-c747. It's pretty full on, but they have to accept it and get on with it - which they will, as they are a very professional outfit now."
England are yet to win the World Cup, their failure is a major surprise considering that the game originated from the United Kingdom. They start of their latest campaign with their opening match against European minnows http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Netherlands-c753 at
Nagpur on February 22.
Stewart feels that the bowlers in the squad would have rested well through the rotation policy of the team management at the same time none of them would be rusty before the big event.
"A couple of good things have happened in a roundabout way," said Stewart. "One is Broad's injury, which means he will come back fresh, Anderson will be a little fresher as well, and as long as Bresnan and Swann come through their injuries,
in a silly way England will have benefited before going off to the World Cup. I wouldn't say we are favourites by any stretch, but this is a developing one-day side, and I still think we have a chance, because the frontline bowling attack will have had some
rest.
Stewart thinks that the team set to compete in the World Cup is very exciting and has the capacity to fulfill the elusive dream of a World Cup win for a country that made it to the finals three times out of the first five editions yet
failed to cross the final hurdle even once.
"I think England cover most bases," Stewart added. "They are good in the spin department, they have good new-ball bowlers and good reverse-swing bowlers, but I'd like to see if we've got one more person who can hit the ball out of the
park, which you need to be able to do on the subcontinent. [Eoin] Morgan is tremendous, but we need someone who can clear the boundary ropes consistently, and it's easier said than done finding one”.
Like Stewart many cricketing pundits are of the opinion that Andrew Strauss’s men would be one of the teams to beat in the tournament, they tasted a rare win in an ICC global event last year winning the T20 World Championship in the West
Indies. The win has given them a real idea of how its done at this level and given their recent run of successes across all formats of the game the POMS cannot be ruled out as a serious threat this time around.
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