England have often found themselves the laughing stock at recent global tournaments, often failing to make any significant impact and crashing out in the second - and sometimes even the first - stage. All that changed in 2010, when they secured their first piece of ICC gold, beating arch-rivals Australia in the World Twenty20 Championship. With the victory came a new breath of life for the much maligned England ODI squad, and Andrew Strauss has his eyes firmly set on adding to England's trophy cabinet.

Winning the Ashes 3-1 should have been the perfect springboard to take England to the World Cup, but their focus came crashing to the ground after a series loss to Australia, and a number of key players sustaining injuries during the grueling Australian tour. Jonathan Trott's form has been exemplary, but Paul Collingwood's has not; Matt Prior is yet to find his groove as Andrew Strauss' opening partner, and Kevin Pietersen and Eoin Morgan have been unable to establish themselves in the middle order. England's one-day bowlers were given a working over by the Australians. Stuart Broad and Graeme Swann both left the tour to recover from injury, and on the slow and low subcontinent pitches, Swann's presence will be a gamechanger for England.

England's first five World Cup campaigns were largely respectable, finishing in the semi-finals or as runners up; but after 1992's finals loss to Pakistan, their were relegated to pushover status, floundering in the four tournaments afterwards. It was only when Andy Flower's coaching and Andrew Strauss' captaincy came together than the pendulum started to shift, and series victories across the board saw the England squad reborn. Winning the World Twenty20 signaled the start of a new age for English cricket. The Ashes victory seemed to continue that, but the painful ODI series loss to Australia - and what has been a very long tour for England - has surely robbed them of vital momentum going into the World Cup.

England's Group B is marginally tougher than Group A, purely because the two Associate teams in their group are the two best Associates in the world. England won't forget their loss to the Netherlands in the opening game of the 2009 World Twenty20, and they will count on lightning not striking twice. They saw off a stiff Irish challenge in the 2010 World Twenty20, and Ireland will target England's rustiness and injuries in their bid to claim Full Membership. South Africa and hosts India will prove tougher challenges - India are all but impossible to beat at home, and South Africa tend to crush everything in their path. The West Indies will either combust or explode - but who can forget the Jerome Taylor-led 51 all out in Sabina Park?

England should consider themselves a shoo-in for the quarter-finals, and I think they've got what it takes to make the semis. They're tired, they're sore and their confidence has been knocked, but this is England's first World Cup team since 1992 that believes in itself. Nobody put money on them winning the 2010 World Twenty20, but they beat all challengers to hoist the trophy at the end of the day. The 50-over game will be a much tougher test, and England will be eager to show that their time has finally come.