England have earned No.1 tag: Ben Stokes

Ben Stokes. Pic/AFP

The 2019 edition of the World Cup goes back home to where it all started in 1975. Interestingly, England go into the tournament as favourites and while many would think it is an added pressure, all-rounder Ben Stokes has his own take on the matter.

Speaking to IANS, Stokes said that the tag was a result of the performance that his team has put up day in and day out over the last few seasons. "I think we have earned the right to be favourites with the cricket that we have played in the last three or four years. Being World No. 1, you will always come into the tournament as favourites. If India or Australia were the No. 1 ranked team, they would come into the tournament as favourites.

"But we cannot take the No.1 tag into the tournament if we want to win it because as you saw during the Champions Trophy [2017] that we were playing great cricket and then we got on to a wicket against Pakistan which didn't suit our style. We are a much better team now because we are able to read situations better," he explained.

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