England‘s quest for their maiden ICC Men’s Champions Trophy title carries the weight of past performances and high expectations across the years. Having conquered both the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup and the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, the Champions Trophy remains the only white-ball title missing from their cabinet.
Twice before, in 2004 under Michael Vaughan and in 2013 under Alastair Cook, England came agonisingly close, only to falter at the final hurdle against India. Now, as they prepare for the 2025 edition, a full-strength squad, a renewed tactical approach, and the aggressive philosophy of new white-ball head coach Brendon McCullum offer a fresh shot at redemption.
SWOT Analysis of England
Strengths :
England’s strength lies in their formidable batting unit, one that has defined their white-ball dominance over the past decade. The team has been the fastest-scoring ODI side since the 2023 World Cup, scoring at 6.02 runs per over. The presence of Jos Buttler, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Phil Salt and Ben Duckett ensures that England can take the attack to any opposition.
Root’s adaptability and experience make him a crucial figure, particularly in Pakistani conditions where spin is expected to play a key role. Alongside Buttler’s explosiveness and Brook’s fearless approach, England’s batting line-up is built to dictate terms, balancing aggression with the ability to stabilise when needed.
Test coach Brendon McCullum took over the reins of the white-ball teams from Matthew Mott and is expected to effect a Bazball-like reset that has come to define his coaching tenure in the longest format.
However, England’s lead-up to the ICC event hit an ironic note when 34-year-old Joe Root, who hadn’t featured in a single ODI since the 2023 World Cup ahead of the India series, was named in the squad. To his credit, Root showed little signs of rust with a fine half-century in the second ODI. He was immediately talked up as pivotal to England’s prospects on Pakistani pitches that could aid spin bowling.
Root will help paper over England’s ineptness against spinners, which was on display during the 2-3 series defeat at home against Australia last year. That Root has also found a faster gear to his batting should help his seamless integration into a side that has been the fastest-scoring team (6.02 runs per over) in one-dayers since the ODI World Cup in 2023.
With openers Ben Duckett and Phil Salt setting the pace, Root is more than capable of maintaining the tempo or dropping anchor before a power-packed middle-order, comprising Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone and Buttler, takes over. But England will want its bowling to gel into a cohesive unit more than its batting. If its batters have led the charts with their high-risk approach, England’s bowlers have leaked 6.41 runs an over on average — the most by any team since the World Cup in 2023.
On the paper, the Old Blighty have the most powerful white ball batting. If the likes of Jos Buttler, Phil Salt, Harry Brook, Joe Root and Liam Livingstone fire in unison, it will be a nightmare for bowlers. Their leg-spinner Adil Rashid is in good form as he had shown in the recent series against India, and he will have an important role to play on pitches that may give appreciable help to tweakers.
Weaknesses :
But that aforementioned batting line-up came a cropper against Indian spinners, as England crashed to a 0-3 series defeat. Apart from Root and Buttler, none of the other batters looked comfortable against spin.
With injury-prone Jofra Archer and Mark Wood leading the attack, England was forced to include six seamers in its squad, leaving room for just one frontline spinner in Adil Rashid. The spin-bowling duties will thus also have to be shouldered by Root and Livingstone in the absence of budding all-rounder Jacob Bethell, who was ruled out due to an injury suffered in the series against India.
Adding to their worries is the lack of depth in the spin department. With Moeen Ali retired, the burden falls solely on Adil Rashid, England’s most successful ODI spinner. Rashid remains a world-class bowler, but at 36, questions remain over whether he can shoulder the responsibility alone across an entire tournament. His form will be crucial, particularly in the middle overs, where England have often struggled to contain scoring rates.
England will also be without Ben Stokes and Sam Curran — its heroes of ICC title wins in 2019 and 2022 — and will need seam-bowling all-rounders Brydon Carse and Jamie Overton to step up with both bat and ball. While Stokes is managing his injury to be fit in time for The Ashes later this year, Curran’s dwindling stocks with the ball have seen him being left out. Stokes and Curran’s absences leave England without a left-handed option in the middle-order and a left-arm seamer in the bowling ranks, respectively.
The bowling attack, however, carries immense firepower in the pace department. Jofra Archer’s return, alongside the likes of Mark Wood, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse and Saqib Mahmood, provides England with a varied and menacing arsenal. Each of these pacers brings a different strength – Archer’s raw pace and accuracy, Wood’s express speed, Atkinson’s skiddy bounce, and Carse’s versatility as a seam-bowling all-rounder.
If these quicks find a rhythm, they can trouble the best batting line-ups. Yet, England’s biggest concern remains their bowling economy. Since the 2023 World Cup, they have conceded 6.41 runs per over on average, the worst among all teams in this period. This vulnerability was evident in their recent ODI series defeats against India (3-0), where opposition batters capitalised on England’s lack of control in the middle overs.
The absence of Ben Stokes and Sam Curran further complicates matters. Stokes, England’s talisman in high-pressure situations, has opted out to focus on his Test career, leaving a void in both leadership and middle-order stability. Curran, on the other hand, has seen his stock fall due to inconsistent performances with the ball, leading to his omission.
Their absences mean England lack a left-handed middle-order batter, which could affect their flexibility against match-ups, and a left-arm seamer, limiting the variety in their attack. Jamie Overton and Brydon Carse will have to step up as seam-bowling all-rounders to fill the void left by Stokes and Curran.
Opportunity :
England have played in Pakistan in the not so distant past, and their first-hand knowledge of conditions might come handy. The overall form of Root and Buttler is encouraging as well. England has won just four of the 13 ODIs it has played since its exit at the 2023 ODI World Cup and will head into the marquee event on the back of four consecutive series defeats — against India and two against West Indies away, and one against Australia at home.
However, during this period, it has also had to contend with a spate of injuries to key players, including skipper Buttler. If those returning from injury and a prolonged absence from the format can shake off the lack of game time, England has the firepower to bid for a maiden Champions Trophy title.
The “Bazball” philosophy, which revolutionised England’s Test cricket, is expected to make its way into their white-ball setup, encouraging fearless cricket even in challenging conditions. If executed well, this approach could unsettle opposition teams and give England the edge in close encounters.
Threats :
Once the reigning world champion in both white-ball formats, England bungled two World Cup defences, in 2023 and 2024, leading to changes in the coaching staff and player personnel. However, resisting any knee-jerk reaction regarding captaincy, the team has persisted with Jos Buttler through troubled times, and it will hope the 34-year-old repays the faith by reversing England’s fortunes in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025
Afghanistan, who have an array of spinners, will be a huge threat to England. The former world champions also have only one spinner in their line-up — Rashid, and will be hoping that Livingstone will support him with his mixed bag. Despite these challenges, the Champions Trophy presents England with a golden opportunity to rewrite history. It offers them the chance to overcome their spin vulnerabilities, refine their bowling execution, and embrace McCullum’s aggressive brand of cricket.
England’s campaign for their maiden Champions Trophy title will kick off on February 22, against Australia in Lahore. Then they will face Afghanistan on February 26 at the same venue and in the last league match they will face South Africa in Karachi on March 1.
England Squad for ICC Champions Trophy 2025 : Jos Buttler (c), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Tom Banton, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Ben Duckett, Jamie Overton, Jamie Smith, Liam Livingstone, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Saqib Mahmood, Phil Salt, Mark Wood.