I can't quite shake off the feeling the win has a bit of a valedictory air about it.
Archer is the only first XI regular under 28, Bayliss is definitely off, Morgan will be 36 by the next tournament and, as the injury to Roy showed, there's a vertiginous drop in quality outside the playing team.
Happy we got over the line, but, maybe it's my ingrained pessimism, this feels more like a swansong than an inauguration. It was now or never.
Personally I'm quite optimistic. Most of the batsman should still be around. Bairstow (age 33 in 2023), Buttler(32), Root(32), Roy(32), Stokes(31), Hales(34). Fielding will slightly drop off with the increased ages but they are pretty fit. Fitness and skill might drop in some but that's still a quality group of players to bank upon come 2023.
Guys like Joe Clarke, Tom Banton, Harry Brook, Ollie Pope, James Bracey have had promising starts to their careers and will hopefully be pushing for spots too.
There's a dropoff from the current crop of batsman but that's because they are world class. Let's face it Vince wouldn't have even been in the squad were it not for Hales drug ban, and Billings injury. Guys like Roy and Hales have benefited from having 4 years in the side and developing their game, Vince didn't really have that opportunity. After 13 ODIS Hales and Roy had plenty of question marks over their ability. Not saying Vince will ever be good or get back in the team - just that some of the criticism for his performances in the WC were over the top imo.
Bowling would be more up in the air and see more flux. Woakes and Wood unlikely to make it, Plunkett will be gone. Saying that they still have reasonable young guys in the Currans(ages 28 and 25 in 2023), Mahmood(26), Archer(27), Stone(29) who should be around their peak by the time that world cup comes around.
Spin bowling looks the weakest area with Rashid and Ali ageing and little coming through right now in county cricket and with 50 over cricket pushed to the sides in county cricket from next year.
With the tournament happening in India obviously spin will play a large part so that is the biggest area of concern, and England certainly won't be favourites, but imo they will be contendors in 2023.
2019 definitely was their best chance though. You only have to look down the age demographic of the squad to see that most of the squad are in their peak performance years.
???
) with the England Team at the Oval . I can see an opentop golfcart parade becoming an ECB thing for the Ashes 
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