Impressed by the highly successful brand of ODI cricket that they are playing, former skipper Michael Vaughan has said that England are not only looking set for the ICC Cricket World Cup next year but are building really well for the future beyond that as well. 

England, currently ranked no.1 ODI side in the world, are leading the ongoing five-match series against Sri Lanka by a margin of 2-0, even before the fourth game at Pallekele on Saturday, October 20. 

They have shown their adaptability and flexibility, Vaughan reiterated, across the spin favouring conditions in the island nation, as well as the overall depth of talent that England now posses in the white-ball game. 

“They have got a lot of depth, We’ve spoken about it for a couple of years - the World Cup next year is a great opportunity," Vaughan, who believes that England can only go forward from here on, told BBC, “I see the group that they’ve got now – probably taking away (skipper) Eoin Morgan – they’ll all be a part of the World Cup after the one in England next year. I don’t see teams around the world with the depth that England have, they have an amass of talent with the white ball.”

Vaughan also praised right-arm fast bowler Chris Woakes for being England's best new ball seamer for a while now and said, “I think with the white ball he’s the best, If you look at his record over the last year it’s incredible: he averages 41 with the bat, 23 with the ball," he stressed, “He’s the tone setter. You have opening batsmen that are sent out there to set the tone in the game and vice versa, with the ball in hand you’ve got to have bowlers who set the tone on the field, and that’s by bowling dots and getting wickets."

“You feel that when he gets the white ball in hand he’s got more confidence. At the minute, with the white ball, Chris Woakes is by far England’s best seamer,” he signed off. 

(Inputs from ICC)