Joe Root said on Tuesday that England had the right captain and the right approach to win their one-day series with India and succeed at the World Cup.
Former England spinner Graeme Swann said the side “do not have a cat in hell’s chance” of winning next year’s World Cup unless they add more firepower to their top-order batting.
He also urged England captain Alastair Cook to give up playing one-day cricket, arguing the opener's style was ill-suited to the modern limited-overs game, where big hitting at the top of the order is considered essential.
His view was backed up by former England captain Michael Vaughan, who told the BBC: "England are looking too much at these new white balls. The other teams have gone power at the top and all the way through. India have got power all the way down. South Africa, Australia are all exactly the same. It's a completely different era because of Twenty20."
England have yet to win the World Cup in nearly 40 years, since staging the first of the tournament’s 10 editions in 1975.
Swann and Vaughan feared the addition of dynamic opener Alex Hales had come too late to bolster England’s World Cup chances.
But Root, speaking ahead of Wednesday’s second one-day international in a five-match series with the world champions in Cardiff, was having none of it.
“We’ve got guys like [Eoin] Morgan and [Jos] Buttler down the order who, as you’ve seen, can win games on their own,” Root said.
“We’re in a good place, and this series will be a good judge of that.”
Root said the team were as much behind Cook when it came to 50-over fixtures as they were in Tests.
“He’s our leader in one-day cricket as well as Tests; he’s done well over a number of years, and we all back him,” Root said. “He’s a fantastic player and has got all of our support.”
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RESULTS
6.30pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-1 Group 1 (PA) Dh119,373 (Dirt) 1,600m
Winner: Brraq, Adrie de Vries (jockey), Jean-Claude Pecout (trainer)
7.05pm: Handicap (TB) Dh102,500 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Taamol, Connor Beasley, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
7.40pm: Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 (Turf) 1,800m
Winner: Eqtiraan, Connor Beasley, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
8.15pm: UAE 1000 Guineas Trial (TB) Dh183,650 (D) 1,400m
Winner: Soft Whisper, Pat Cosgrave, Saeed bin Suroor.
9.50pm: Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Hypothetical, Mickael Barzalona, Salem bin Ghadayer.
9.25pm: Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (T) 1,000m
Winner: Etisalat, Sando Paiva, Ali Rashid Al Raihe
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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EWilliam%20Friedkin%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EKiefer%20Sutherland%2C%20Jason%20Clarke%2C%20Jake%20Lacy%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E3%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
