Yeah I am more than comfortable with our ODI batting line up and depth. Fact that we have a strong batting side without Root, Vince and Stokes speaks volumes.
Moeen batting at five is a bit weird but they're doing pretty well out there it seems.
Suppose we will have quite a lot of odd batting positions if England keep rotating the side like they did against Pakistan.
It certainly looks good for the next world cup. Root, Buttler,Stokes, Taylor, Morgan (and slightly less so Ali) look all good bets for the next WC and the likes of Buttler, Root, Taylor, Stokes should be around their peak.
What order they all end up in 2019 is a complex question. By my reckoning you have 3 blokes in Taylor, Stokes and Morgan whose best position is probably 4.
imo Root Best position 3. Could also bat 1,2,4,5
Buttler Best Position 5. Could also bat 4,6
Stokes Best Position 4. Could also bat ? 3, 5,6,7
Taylor Best Position 4. Could also bat 3,5
Morgan Best Postion 4. Could also bat 5,6,7
Ali Best Position Opener. Could also bat 3,8
There's basically a logjam of middle order options. Someone will miss out in time.
Stokes is probably the controversial one here with people on here. I'd still like him at 3 or 4 long term. I don't think he'll ever be consistent 45avg 100sr player but he'll have days when he win you the game with big hundreds from early in the order. And he'll be in the team because of his allround game. If he's in the team I'd prefer him where he can make most impact with the bat and that's 3 or 4 where he can build an innings and then brutalise the opposition. He's poor at 6 and 7 because he just slogs and he isn't a good slogger and he has a fairly limited strokeplay at death (easier for bowlers to bowl at).
Morgan I prefer at 5 or 6 but he clearly prefers 4(and has done well once he moved there after the WC) where he has some more time and can direct the innings.
Taylor for me 4 is his best position by some way. 3 is too close to the new ball(vulnerable and lacks boundary options) and 5 is too close to the end(lacks destructive edge)
Buttler you don't want in too early but is the best bat and the most destructive. 4 is too early and 6 too late. He's the key guy so he should get preference of position. I feel like that will be 5 by the next WC.
Ali is basically an opener if he bats in the top 7 imo. He might player as a bowler and bat 8. But batting him 3-7 long term would be a mistake imo because you have so much better options.
Root is the best classical batsman of the lot (so could bat in top order) but also great in the middle order. I feel in time he may even move to opener as he's the only player of the middle order options who could open- and given the lack of clear quality top order options.
2019 Batting order? - 1.Ali, 2.Root, 3. Stokes, 4.Taylor, 5.Buttler, 6.Morgan, (7.Billings?)
1.Ali, 2.Hales/Roy/Vince/Malan/Lawrence/Gubbins, 3.Root, 4.Stokes, 5.Buttler, 6.Morgan, 7.x
1.X, 2.X, 3.Root, 4.Taylor, 5.Morgan, 6.Buttler, 7.Stokes (this is probably the likeliest at present but to me Buttler too low, and Stokes shouldn't be in the team probably if batting 7)