Cricket World Cup 2023: Build England's squad for trophy defence in India

England go to India as defending champions after winning a dramatic final against New Zealand at Lord's in 2019

It is almost time for England to name a provisional squad for their 50-over World Cup defence in India.

Some players are guaranteed to be in the squad for the tournament, which starts on 5 October, but there are questions for captain Jos Buttler and head coach Matthew Mott to answer.

Do they risk injured bowler Jofra Archer? What about Ben Stokes? There are reports they will try to tempt the Test captain out of ODI retirement. And how do they whittle down a plethora of batters?

BBC Sport has worked with CricViz to assess England's options and look at how World Cup squads are usually built.

We're then going to hand over to you to pick your 15-player squad at the bottom.

Getting the right balance

Generally since the World Cup began in 1975 the number of bowlers has held firm with sides now opting for an all-rounder over an additional batting option.

Based on the numbers in 2019, teams may look to split their squads with seven batters, three all-rounders and five bowlers.

But do both of those translate into teams that have won the World Cup?

As the game has developed over the past decade, with the introduction of more T20 cricket across the globe, the shift to all-rounders has become more prominent.

Six of the 13 players England used in the 2019 World Cup success are classified as all-rounders with CricViz, with just two genuine bowling options and five batters.

Across the past five winners, 70 players have been used. There have been 34 specialist batters, 17 all-rounders and 19 bowlers.

Bowlers have generally been split 72-28 in favour of pace, but the number of spinners picked rises to 37% for sub-continental World Cups.

If you consider the numbers over the past five winners England may opt to go with seven batters (including their keeping options), four all-rounders and four bowlers in their 15-player squad.

What have England generally done?

Analysis by Rufus Bullough, senior performance analyst at CricViz

England have prided themselves on their batting depth since the 'white-ball revolution' in 2015 but they have shown some flexibility when it comes to prioritising bowling quality over batting depth, particularly during major tournaments. Chris Woakes batted at seven during the World Cup final win at Lord's in 2019, for example.

The potentially spin friendly conditions in India should soften the blow when it comes to replacing Stokes' bowling load - Joe Root is a capable bowler and the likes of Liam Livingstone and Will Jacks also bring spin and batting depth alongside Moeen Ali.

Sam Curran has emerged as England's leading all-rounder in the past year and will be more than capable of filling in at seven should they shuffle the pack and leave out Moeen as they did during 2019.

England's ODI sides since their World Cup win have generally not featured the three frontline quicks used during the 2019 competition as they have instead gone down the batting depth route.

It will be interesting to see if the availability of Woakes, Mark Wood and Jofra Archer will again bring a shift in mindset with high quality bowling prioritised over depth and flexibility.

Assessing the options available

A panel of BBC cricket journalists agreed the following seven players are, fitness permitting, guaranteed to be part of England's squad: Jos Buttler, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, Adil Rashid, Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes and Mark Wood.

That leaves eight slots to fill. Here are the contenders and some reasons why they may or may not feature.

Batters

Jason Roy

• 32 ODI appearances since the 2019 World Cup, most for any player

• Has a good ODI record in Asia (20 innings, 821 runs, 41 average at 102 strike-rate, 2x100s, 5x50s)

• Very much a 'hit or miss' ODI winter. He made 113 and 91 v South Africa and 132 and 124 v Bangladesh mixed in with low scores

• Strike rate inside the powerplay has dropped from 97 in 2015-2019 to 89 since last World Cup.

Dawid Malan

• Exceptional ODI record since the last World Cup (4x100s and 3x50s in 17 innings)

• Two of those centuries came against South Africa and Bangladesh last winter

• Different style of batter for the England top order, strike-rate of 93 in ODIs, closer to Root than Roy/Bairstow

• Impressive record against spin in ODIs (337 runs, 334 balls, 3 dismissals: 112 average, 100 strike-rate)

• Struggled to adapt to Asian conditions in T20Is (19 inns, 500 runs: 31 average, 121 strike-rate).

Ben Duckett

Ben Duckett has played a key role in England's Test transformation in the past 12 months and would offer a left-handed option to the squad

• Has only played three ODIs since the last World Cup

• One of England's best players of leg-spin, averaging more than 100 against leggies in List A cricket and 36 in T20s

• Similarly to Malan, brings a left-handed option into the batting line-up in the absence of Morgan and perhaps Stokes

• Seemed to adapt well to Asian conditions during Pakistan T20I tour last winter (233 runs, 46 average, 159 strike-rate)

• Positive/aggressive approach in Test cricket should translate to ODI cricket, particularly in the middle overs with only four fielders out (a phase England generally score quicker in than any team).

Phil Salt

• Highest strike-rate for any England player since the last World Cup at 125

• Brings aggression during the powerplay (strike-rate of 123) at the cost of early dismissals (average of 34)

• Limited experience in Asia

• Has generally struggled with the ball turning away from him in T20s, averaging just 17 against leg-spin and 23 against left-arm spin, his two lowest for any bowling type.

Zak Crawley

• Three ODI appearances, all during a Covid-affected series against Pakistan where England named a replacement squad

• Included scores of 58* off 50 balls and 39 off 34 at number three

• Has an average List A record (25 innings, 840 runs, 36 average, 75 strike-rate)

• Impressive T20 record, averaging a shade under 30 while striking at 141

• Positive player, perhaps a better fit for England's white-ball 'style' than other batters on this list and has a high ceiling.

James Vince

• Averaging just 28 across 22 career ODI innings

• Plenty of T20 experience in Asia (46 innings, 26 average, 132 strike-rate)

• Best career year to date in 2023 - averaging 45 across all formats including 2x100s and 13x50s.

Sam Hain

• List A monster (60 innings, 2,885 runs, 56 average, 10x100s, 16x50s)

• List A strike-rate of 86 has generally deterred England from selecting him

• White-ball game has kicked on significantly in the past two years

• In T20s since the start of 2022: 37 innings, 1,170 runs, 50 average, 150 strike-rate

• Has featured in Lions white-ball sides against South Africa and Sri Lanka in past two summers.

Harry Brook

Harry Brook was part of the England team that won the T20 World Cup in Australia last year

• Just three ODI appearances for England, all this winter in South Africa - made scores of 80 and 75

• Has only made 18 List A appearances across his whole career

• Mixed T20 record in Asia - exceptional in Pakistan (502 runs in 14 innings, 62 average, 167 strike-rate) but struggled in India during IPL 2023 (190 runs in 11 innings, 21 average, 123 strike-rate)

• Averages just 24 against leg-spin across all three formats - a potential weakness with most sides containing one

• Generally a strong player against high-pace bowling, averaging 134 against deliveries above 87mph in his career

• Scores freely at the death in T20s (193 strike-rate in overs 16-20), demonstrating his power and ability to change a game.

Ben Stokes

• Exceptional record in ODI run chases (25 wins and 13 losses since 2015 World Cup)

• Has played just 10 ODIs since 84 not out off 98 balls in 2019 World Cup final

• Good ODI record in Asia (14 innings, 542 runs, 49 average, 113 strike-rate).

All-rounders

Liam Livingstone

• Struggled a little in his early ODIs, 250 runs in 10 innings

• Has played a middle-order role in his List A career for Lancashire/England Lions - has an impressive middle overs (11-40) record, averaging 39 at at nearly a run-a-ball

• Has plenty of T20 experience in Asia and a good record (59 innings, 1,389 runs, 27 average, 152 strike-rate)

• Particularly impressive IPL record in India (27 innings, 786 runs, 34 average, 171 strike-rate)

• Brings another spin option into the mix, also a superb fielder.

Will Jacks

• Made his ODI debut this winter in Bangladesh

• Played at six but has generally opened the batting for Surrey in his previous List A appearances back in 2019

• Fourth highest scorer in Hundred history with 508 runs, no-one with more than 250 runs in the competition has a higher strike-rate than Jacks' 172

• Limited T20 experience in Asia but does have a good record (15 innings, 465 runs, 33 average, 153 strike-rate).

• Brings off-spin to the side, an alternative to both Moeen and Livingstone.

Liam Dawson

• Regularly in and around England squads

• Provides a different skillset with left-arm spin, with his batting a bonus

• Incredibly experienced with 162 List A games - averages 32 with the bat, 30 with the ball. Has made 61 T20 appearances in Asia, taking 39 wickets at 29, with an economy of 7.33.

Rehan Ahmed

• Made England ODI debut in Bangladesh, returning figures of 1-62 across 10 overs

• England's closest replacement to Adil Rashid in terms of skillset, but has only played nine List A games. Has taken nine wickets averaging 48, conceding at more than a run-a-ball

• Tends to bowl his googly 56% - a lot more than his leg break - not as 'traditional' as Rashid.

Sam Curran

Sam Curran became the highest-paid player in Indian Premier League history after starring at last November's T20 World Cup

• Player of the tournament during the 2022 T20 World Cup triumph and took English record 5-10 against Afghanistan

• Death bowling record is lacking in ODI career compared to T20s - economy rate of 8.59 in overs 41-50

• Brings multi-phase skills to the attack while his left-arm angle could be a bonus if Woakes, Wood and Archer are all retained

• Batting an added bonus, includes 95* (83) v India in Pune in 2021 to nearly win the game for England.

Bowlers

Reece Topley

• Has struggled with injuries but impressed in 2022 summer, including figures of 6-24 v India at Lord's

• Exceptional with the new ball during 2022 (seven wickets, 4.78 economy). Left-arm angle and the ability to extract movement, combined with the increased new-ball movement seen recently should make him a capable back-up to Woakes

• As shown in the Hundred, he can also bowl in other phases of the game.

Jofra Archer

• Currently out injured as he recovers from stress fracture in right elbow, but is "on course" to be fit

• England's chief top and tail bowler during 2019 World Cup

• Seven powerplay wickets during 2019 World Cup, joint second most in the competition alongside Woakes

• England's go-to death bowler in 2019, economy of just 5.49 in overs 41-50

• Has an exceptional T20 record in Asia (59 games, 74 wickets, 22 average, 7.32 economy)

• Looked back to his best during 2023 winter tours with 47% of his deliveries above 87mph.

Olly Stone

• Currently missing with a hamstring injury

• Bowled quick during the 2023 winter in South Africa - 50% of deliveries were above 87mph.

• Has shown the ability to take new-ball wickets (average of 29 in overs 1-10) and strike during the middle overs (36 average in overs 11-40) during his List A career

• Limited experience in Asia, albeit played Chennai Test in 2021.

David Willey

• 18 ODI appearances since being omitted from the 2019 World Cup squad; seventh most for an England player

• 16 powerplay wickets since the last World Cup - most for any England player

• Also averaging 37 with the bat within that timeframe, striking at just under a run-a-ball.

Gus Atkinson

• Bowling serious heat in the Hundred, no one has bowled more deliveries above 87mph

• Has a total of just two List A appearances across his career

• Perfect raw skillset for a middle-overs wicket-taker.

• Next Gen: 'Atkinson has what England are looking for'

Now build your squad...

We've given you all the options, and explained how World Cup-winning squads are built, now it is over to you.

Put yourself in the shoes of Buttler, Mott and the selectors and pick your 15-man squad for the World Cup.

Every player is available in each slot, so don't worry about putting them in the normal positions you'd see them in an XI.

Pick your 15 and then share it on social media using #bbccricket.