World Cup: England preview

England enter this World Cup with that most painful of baggage hanging from their backs, hope.  The stirring end to the CB Series, which saw them beat Australia, has served to raise expectation all across the land that they are in with a chance.  This kind of hyperbole ignores the fact that England have been eye-wateringly awful at the one day game for the best part of 12 years, and a decent run of form over a 3 week period cannot revolutionise a team that radically.  No one is suggesting that Australia's current poor run means they are now a bad team are they?  And if anyone is saying that they are either lying, blind or mad.

England have chosen an entirely predictable squad, with the only question mark being over the fitness of Michael Vaughan, the form of Andrew Strauss and quite what Duncan Fletcher sees in Paul Nixon.  If all England needed in a wicket keeper was an old shouty bald bloke with questionable talent they could have picked Ross Kemp, instead Nixon goes and James Foster stays at home. Jamie Dalrymple must wonder what selfless deeds he performed in a former life to be treated so kindly in this one.

Coach: Duncan "Laughing Boy" Fletcher

Captain: Michael "Knee Knack" Vaughan

Squad: Michael Vaughan (Yorkshire), James Anderson (Lancashire), Ian Bell (Warwickshire),Ravi Bopara (Essex), Paul Collingwood (Durham), James Dalrymple (Middlesex), Andrew Flintoff (Lancashire), Ed Joyce (Middlesex), Jon Lewis (Gloucestershire), Sajid Mahmood (Lancashire), Paul Nixon (Leicestershire), Monty Panesar (Northamptonshire), Kevin Pietersen (Hampshire), Liam Plunkett (Durham), Andrew Strauss (Middlesex)

Key Player: Collingwood, on current form

Expect:   Defeat to NZ, a morale shredding defeat to Canada, followed by a nail biting last over win against Kenya. Misanthropy.