Bairstow picks Cup glory over Ashes win

WC returns to England and Wales after 20 years and Bairstow felt the host deserves to win its maiden title after all the hard work it had put in over the past two years to become the number one ranked One-Day team. “I am going (to pick the) WC because it’s been so long since we’ve had an opportunity to win one,” said Bairstow.

“The amount of work that has gone into this group of players over the last couple of years, building and building, I firmly believe we’ve put an amount of effort in that gives us the best chance. Guys have worked day in, day out, taking their games to places that they weren’t at 18 months or two years ago. That’s from the vision Morgs (England captain Eoin Morgan) has had and the way we are playing our One-Day cricket.”

Bairstow also credited the Indian Premier League (IPL) for sharpening his skills and improving his form ahead of the WC.