'We play like we're No.2 and we're chasing somebody' – Eoin Morgan

It is an understatement to say England have improved leaps and bounds since the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, where they suffered a first-round exit. They're now perched atop the MRF Tyres ICC ODI rankings, and are considered strong favourites to lift the title at home later this year.

Ranked No.1, a side can slip into complacency, but England are insuring themselves against that by thinking of themselves as ranked No.2. This, according to Morgan, ensures that they're constantly trying to get better.

"Just because we've become No.1 in the world, we haven't changed anything. We play like we're No.2 and we're chasing somebody. We're always trying to chase and better ourselves. We've put a lot of work into where we're at and we've come a long way," said Morgan ahead of England's opening ODI against the Windies in Barbados on Wednesday, 20 February.

During the series against Windies, Morgan wants his team to focus on adaptability as he feels that quality could come in handy about halfway into the World Cup.

"We've got 11 matches between now and that first World Cup game and they are very important, particularly against West Indies because conditions will change quite drastically here and will get us out of our comfort zone. We need to learn as much as we can from this series so by the seventh or eighth game of the tournament when we play in different conditions we are able to adapt."

England look a well-settled unit with abundance of talent in the reserves. But the problem of plenty means that the management will have to make tough selection choices when they're sitting down to name their squad for the World Cup.

"I don't think we can say, 'This is our World Cup squad' so far out, particularly with bowlers, because people can pick up injuries at any time. When you're so far out it can be detrimental to nail your colours to a mast and say, 'This is the team'. Then, if one or two drop out, the mood can change. We probably have 17 or 18 who could be in the squad and there are three or four tough decisions to make before April 23."

England will be faced with one such dilemma in Jofra Archer, who becomes eligible to represent the team in March 2019. In domestic T20 leagues across the world, and for Sussex at home, Archer has been rather impressive. He has the gift of extreme pace, and is known for his control in the death overs. Yet picking him without getting to test him in the international set-up for any substantial amount of time could prove a gamble.

"I've played against Jofra on numerous occasions and he comes with a big reputation. That reputation is justified because he's an extremely talented young cricketer. He's raw but he's performed in big tournaments around the world like the IPL and the Big Bash. As soon as he qualifies, we'll make a decision on him and think about what direction we're going to go in.

"The aim of the side is to continuously better ourselves and the end goal is to be contenders for the World Cup. If picking Jofra ties in with everything else he'll have a chance. We're not going to bring anybody in who would upset five different people and be a massive thorn in everybody's side.

"His biggest attributes are death bowling and pace. But we do have two guys who can bowl 90mph in Liam Plunkett and Mark Wood. Jofra's young and exciting so there's a lot of talk about him," Morgan said.