The World Cup starts in just over a week and with England announcing their squad earlier this week, there is little reason to doubt why they have been labelled the favourites.Having won their last 11 bilateral ODI series, they have a serious chance to win the World Cup for the first time.Roll back four years and England were heading to Australia having just sacked Alastair Cook as captain and in complete disarray.A few poor performances and just two victories later and England were crashing out at the group stages following a humiliating defeat at the hands of Bangladesh.Fast forward to 2019 and Eoin Morgan's squad includes just five survivors from the last tournament. So let's have a look at how the squad has evolved over the last four years and how they compare.

Batsmen

2015 - Gary Ballance, Ian Bell, Ravi Bopara, Alex Hales, Eoin Morgan, Joe Root, James Taylor

2019 - Jonny Bairstow, Eoin Morgan, Joe Root, Jason Roy, James Vince

Following his stint in the IPL, forming a formidable partnership with Aussie David Warner along the way, Bairstow has confirmed that he is one of the best openers in one-day cricket. Jason Roy is a fantastic partner and they are seen as an excellent duo and consistently set the perfect platform for England's innings. 

Barring Hales personal misdemeanours, he would have more than likely been in this year's squad too but he and, the now retired, Bell opening are no comparison for Bairstow & Roy.

At three this time around we have Root as opposed to Ballance, two Yorkshire teammates. Ballance’s international career got off to an excellent start but he has dropped firmly out of contention in all formats of the game more recently.

Root stays the same and he has been instrumental in the development in the squad, a form player who is hitting it just at the right time.

Vince and Taylor are similar players and could see them bat at the top of the pile, three or at five. Taylor has since retired from cricket due a heart problem and if he was still playing could happily slot in the squad. Vince has scored lots in Hampshire’s run to the One Day Cup and it is a shame that the back up opener won’t be around to play at the Lord’s final at the weekend.

Wicket Keeper

2015 - Jos Buttler
2019 - Jos Buttler

One of the constants from the last campaign is the vice-captain Jos Buttler. The current holder of England’s fastest ODI hundred has managed to keep his place in the One Day team and also regain his Test place since 2015.

The 28-year-old has continued to improve with the bat since the last tournament and as a result he is seen as one of the best in the world.

The Lancashire star is no slouch with the gloves either which makes him one of the prize commodities on the franchise circuit. Bairstow is England’s Test keeper and should Buttler not be available he would be able to slot into those huge shoes that he would leave.

All Rounders

2015 - Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Chris Jordan
2019 - Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Ben Stokes

Moeen and Woakes are both selected for second World Cups while Stokes replaces Jordan who is still a key man of the T20 side.

They are both gun fielders and both have the ability to take the game away from the opposition. Stokes was picked in the IPL in 2018 and awarded MVP but was not able to reach those heights in this year and heading into the recent ODI series v Pakistan, was under a bit of pressure to produce a match-winning contribution.

Ali has become increasingly reliable with the ball but has been less consistent with the bat. Luckily with England's other batsmen looking so imperious, there is less expectation on his shoulders.

Bowlers

2015 - Stuart Broad, James Anderson, James Tredwell, Steven Finn
2019 - Mark Wood, Jofra Archer, Tom Curran, Liam Dawson, Adil Rashid, Liam Plunkett

There could be a case for most of the class of ’19 being part of the all-rounders section too due to their ability to score.

England bat so deep now, hence why they have scored 400+ four times since the last World Cup.

Wood and Archer offer genuine pace, something that Broad and Anderson were not able to offer on the pace-friendly pitches in Australia four years ago.

Tom Curran has matured as a cricketer and his stint in the Big Bash over the winter has seen him develop into a better all-round player. 

Adil Rashid has turned in to the spinner that he has always threatened to be and has the ability to spin a side out on any given day.

Dawson wasn't included in the provisional squad but has pipped Joe Denly at the final hurdle to be England’s back up spinner following his performances for Hampshire in the One Day Cup.

Perhaps had it been the other way round, Denly being available to play in the One Day cup for Kent and Dawson running drinks for England, he might have been able to impress enough to maintain his place in the squad.

Although both of them are arguably a much better pick than Tredwell.

Plunkett is the oldest person in the England squad and his bowling in the middle overs in the last few years has been vital for Morgan's side.

He has slowed down in the last few years but has a knack of taking big wickets and it is likely that this will be his swansong ICC tournament.

Steven Finn was once labelled ‘unselectable’ for England. He has been able to force his way back into a few squads since then but his inconsistent form and injuries have really hampered his progress internationally.

Not too long ago, Wood was considered one of those at risk of dropping out for Archer but his lightning bowling in the Caribbean has further enhanced his reputation.

David Willey may be cursing his luck to miss out but when a player of Archer’s quality becomes available you have to find a way to fit him in.

The progress England have made in the last four years is a testament to Morgan and Trevor Bayliss, who have had to make a lot of tough decisions along the way.

But each one seems to have paid off and unlike the team of 2015, it seems this squad have all bases covered and can handle any situation thrown at them.

Let's face it, this might be the best chance England have ever had to win the World Cup!

Will they do it? Let us know in the comments below!