Assuming that the world’s batting superstars are able to match their English counterparts (Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Eoin Morgan, Jason Roy, Jos Buttler, and Ben Stokes), the 2019 World Cup promises to be a high-scoring tournament.
Average scores in ODIs in England & Wales
| Average scores | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
| First innings | 297 | 274.9 | 299.75 | 355.5* |
| Second innings | 259.22 | 229.22 | 256 | 339.5 |
Note*: Only five ODIs have been hosted in England and Wales in 2019, of which one was abandoned.
300+ does not guarantee victory
In the past two years (May 2017 onwards), the teams batting first have scored in excess of 300 runs on 17 occasions. This has resulted in 11 victories – a win percentage of 64.7%. What is ominous is that England has won 5 out of the 6 matches where teams have successfully chased down 300 or more. The other successful chase was Sri Lanka’s stunning victory over India in the 2017 Champions Trophy.
England’s 300+ chases at home – May 2017 onwards:
| Date | Score |
| June 1, 2017 | 308/2 vs Bangladesh |
| Sep 27, 2017 | 258/5 (via Duckworth/Louis method) chasing West Indies’ 356/5 |
| June 21, 2018 | 314/8 vs Australia |
| May 14, 2019 | 359/5 vs Pakistan |
| May 17, 2019 | 341/7 vs Pakistan |
A World Record in Trent Bridge
On June 19, 2018, England bludgeoned Australia’s inexperienced bowling attack to amass a world-record score of 481/6 during their 242-run win in the 3rd ODI in Trent Bridge, Nottingham. The batting blitz was led by Jonny Bairstow, who scored 147 and 139 respectively (each of them faced 92 balls), followed by opener Alex Hales, who made a 61-ball 82, and Eion Morgan, who smashed 6 sixes and 3 fours for his 30-ball 67. Unfortunately, England will not have the services of Alex Hales during the World Cup (who was withdrawn from the squad for recreational drug use) if they aim to better this effort.
High-scoring venues
The most batting friendly pitches (based on runs per over) in England are as follows:
| Ground | City | Matches | Runs per over (since May 2017) | Team India’s league stage matches in the 2019 World Cup |
| Country Ground | Bristol | 2 | 7.23 | |
| Trent Bridge | Nottingham | 4 | 7.02 | June 13 – New Zealand |
| The Rose Bowl | Southampton | 3 | 6.85 | June 5 – South Africa June 22 – Afghanistan |
| Riverside Ground | Chester-le-Street | 1 | 6.59 | |
| Headingley | Leeds | 3 | 6.18 | July 6 – Sri Lanka |
| Kennington Oval | London | 9 | 5.70 | June 9 - Australia |
| Edgbaston | Birmingham | 5 | 5.62 | June 30 – England July 2 – Bangladesh |
| Sophia Gardens | Cardiff | 5 | 5.55 | |
| Lord’s | London | 2 | 5.41 | |
| Old Trafford | Manchester | 2 | 5.30 | June 16 – Pakistan; June 27 – West Indies |