Jofra Arc🎶her followed up his slower-ball bouncer with a delivery targeted at the top of o🐠ff stump. New Zealand’s Matt Henry swung hard at the ball, missed it, and the ball cannoned onto the stumps. Finally, after 49.3 overs, Archer had a wicket in the World Cup final.
Archer is a big reason why England won the World Cup. He was England’s highest wicket-taker with 20 𝐆wickets from 11 matches at an average of 23.05 and an economy of 4.57
England doesn’t have Archer in their 15-member squad, he is on the bench as a reserve as the world’s best-pa🐼id net bowler. So, who is most likely to take the most wickets for England at this year’s tournament?
Mark Wood
When Mark Wood was added to England’s Ashes starting 11, he announced himself with an over that averaged 149.93 k/h in bowling speed. He wasﷺ fast and furious. England will hope their star pacer can ಌreplicate those speeds and send stumps flying on amenable surfaces.
The 33-year-old pacer was the second-highest wicket-taker for England at the 2019 World Cup with 18 wickets from 10 matches at an average of 25.72 and an economy of 5.16. Wood did not feature in many of England’s bilateral ODIs in the 2019 to 2023 World Cu♈p cycle because his body kept breaking down. He has featured in only 10 ODIs🌞, where he took 10 wickets at an average of 30.50 and an economy of 4.69.
He could wreak havoc on pitches with pace and bounce, and haul a bagful of wickets in the process. Online cricket bookies have him at 5 to 1.
Sam Curran
Sam Curran is a player for big occasions. He was England’s to𝕴p wicket-taker at the 2022 T20 World Cup, and scoo🧸ped the Player of the Final and Player of the Tournament awards, along the way. He was impressive inꦅ the powerplay and at the death.
E🎃ngland hope he can deliver the 🥀same at the 50-over World Cup. The 24-year-old is third behind Adil Rashid and David Willey among England’s highest wicket-takers in this cycle. He has taken 24 wickets at an average of 36.15 and an economy of 5.78.
Curran ha🐻s been more successful in the powerplay where he has taken 11 wickets in 11 outings with the new ball at an average of 16.45 and a handy economy of 4.52. The left-arm seamer is a good pick for possible front-runners on most wickets for England. He did it once already. The odds have him at 4.5 to 1.
Chris Woakes
Chris Woakes had a successful 2019 ODI World Cup. He was England⛎’s third-best bowler in wickets, average and economy, behind Archer and Wood. He took 16 wickets in 11 games at a respectable average of 27.87 and an economy of 5.24.
During the 2019 to 2023 cycle, Woakes has been trusted with new ball duties and he has perꦆformed well in the role. Of the 21 wickets he has taken in this period, 15 came in the powerplay at an average of 23.67 and an economy of 4.06 runs an over. If he can maintain this run with the new ball, Woakes is sure to not only set England up for a successful tournament but to be among the top wicket-takers. The odds have him at 8 to 1.
Adil Rashid
Engl🔴and’s main spinn✅er did not take a lot of wickets in 2019, with 11 in 11 matches, but did a good job in helping England control the middle overs. His bowling partnership with Liam Plunkett was key to England winning the World Cup.
If Adil Rashid can join forces with Wood to reproduce the same middle-overs partnership he had with Plunkett, Rashid could bamboozle a number of numbers at this World Cup. He has been England’s leading wicket-taker for England in the 2019 to 2023 World Cup cycle with 41 wickets from 27 games, econ 5.8𒁃1, average 34.49. T✅he odds have him at 3.6 to 1.
David Willey
David Willey did not feature in England’s opening game, maybe because England are trying to seeౠ who their best c♑ombination is. But, the 33-year-old pacer has the potential to bag many wickets, should he be given a run. He has been England’s most successful bowler when compared to all bowlers who have bowled in 10 or more games for England in the 2019 to 2023 World Cup cycle.
Willey has taken 37 wickets in 21 innings at an average of 22.35 and an economy of 5.21. His strike of 25.76 is the best among this group of bowlers. He has proven to be useful throughout the innings. 18 of his 37 wickets have come in the powerplay at an average of 24.56 an🌳d an economy of 4.58, while 10 wickets in the middle overs at an average of 21.90 and an economy of 4.88. His economy takes a knock at the death, where he has been going at 7.55 runs an over. However, despite that, he still took 9 wickets in 11 innings at the death at an average of 18.44.
A🔜t the moment Wood or Woakes make the most sense to lead the wickets. Rashid seems to be struggling with the slower Indian surfaces. But there is a lot of tournament to come. The odds have him at 8 to 1.
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