... and five reasons why they might disappoint again By Martin Gough

England departed on Friday for the Caribbean, where they will bid to lift the World Cup for the first time at the ninth attempt.

Their recent run of one-day victories in Australia has lifted confidence but there are as many reasons to expect them to fail as to succeed.

1. Recent form

The fitness of Michael Vaughan (right) remains a concern

As Australia will attest after losing their last five successive games, form and momentum play a huge part in one-day cricket.

On 1 February, many were questioning whether England should bother going to the Caribbean after an Ashes Test whitewash and a miserable start to the one-day series.

Less than two weeks later they were parading the Commonwealth Bank Series trophy having beaten the world's top side in three successive games.

2. Tournament format

In the longest World Cup tournament of any sport, England can expect to go almost six weeks into the tournament before facing a knockout match.

That could be a real benefit to a team prone to inconsistency.

Even if they lose to one of minnows Kenya or Canada they could conceivably qualify from Group C - which also features New Zealand - into the Super Eight second round.

They need to win four of their seven matches against Test-standard opposition to stand a chance of a semi-final spot but no match will be "must-win" unless they have a disastrous start.

3. Paul Collingwood and Kevin Pietersen

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Ranked the fourth-best one-day batsmen in the world, Pietersen will be in the spotlight, recovering from a rib injury to play in his first World Cup.

In Australia, England learned to live without the big-hitting he provides but on smaller grounds, where there is less space in the field, he will be needed to clear the boundary.

Meanwhile, Collingwood's return from a spell of lean form - including back-to-back centuries - coincided with England's revival.

He can play a supporting role to a bigger hitter or mount a salvage operation, grafting and exploiting weaknesses.

4. Underdog spirit

Their status as underdogs helped England to their Ashes victory of 2005 and the same could be true here.

Even though they have hosted four of the eight tournaments so far, England have yet to lift a World Cup and there is little weight of expectation on them so far.

Rebounding from near elimination to win the one-day series in Australia they proved capable of performing at the highest level with the pressure off.

5. The Barmy, Barmy Army

England's last trip to the Caribbean, in 2004, was like a home series as English fans packed the grounds and the home population appeared less bothered by the action.

Some may have used their cash and holiday allowance following England in Australia but the Barmy Army will be out in force.

The team may not be the world's best but other travelling groups - like Australia's Fanatics and New Zealand's Beige Brigade - are small by comparison.

1. Captaincy uncertainty

England have put all their eggs in Michael Vaughan's basket by naming him captain even though he is yet to prove his recovery from hamstring trouble.

Vaughan sparked the revival in fortunes in Australia before succumbing to his latest injury, Andrew Flintoff taking over for the finals.

At least now they have confirmed Flintoff as his deputy but switching between the two men if Vaughan misses some matches could prove an unnecessary distraction.

2. Injury doubts for bowlers

The inexperience of players like Plunkett could be exposed

Opening bowlers James Anderson (back) and Jon Lewis (ankle) both missed the latter stages of the Commonwealth Bank Series and without them England are worryingly inexperienced.

Anderson, a star of the 2003 World Cup, is expected to be fit but England have admitted Lewis will remain a "question mark" until he proves his recovery in the warm-up matches.

Sajid Mahmood and, in particular, Liam Plunkett have stepped up in their absence but the duo boast just 41 one-day caps between them.

3. Under-powered top order

Since Marcus Trescothick stepped aside, England's top three has been nothing like as explosive as their rivals in the top tier.

A last experimental fling with Mal Loye was abandoned after the Australia trip, in part to make room for Vaughan.

Their ability to take advantage of the early powerplay overs, when fielding restrictions are in place, is less, meaning they are under more pressure through the middle of each innings.

Ed Joyce has shown his ability at building an innings, Vaughan could play a similar role and so could Ian Bell but early boundaries look like being the exception rather than the rule.

4. Lack of experience

Coach Duncan Fletcher has regularly bemoaned the fact that few of his players have sufficient experience to be able to think on their feet under pressure.

Collingwood and Flintoff are the only members of the England side with more than 100 one-day caps.

By comparison, Australia's five most experienced players boast 1,060 appearances between them.

5. Seven other teams

England have proved able to deal with two of the world's best teams in Australia and New Zealand but any of the teams that make the Super Eight stage could pose a challenge in a key game.

South Africa are ranked best in the world at the moment, West Indies will be inspired on home turf, India have a potentially explosive batting line-up and Sri Lanka whitewashed England at home last summer.

England could easily reach the semi-finals, but equally there is a possibility of six weeks without a win against any of the top teams.

It could be a rollercoaster two months for England.