Joe Root praised the maturity of Jason Roy and Alex Hales, who have led the way with the bat in this Royal London One-Day International Series and hoped England could finish the series in style tomorrow.
Root, a mainstay of the England team in all formats, said the influence of more recent additions such as Surrey opener Roy – who has hit two centuries in this series – have invigorated the side.
Roy blazed 162 on Wednesday as England chased down 308 inside 42 overs, with Root joining the opener for a blistering partnership of 149.
The Yorkshireman, speaking to the media at The SSE SWALEC in Cardiff ahead of the series finale tomorrow, said Roy's big-hitting was 'scary' and didn't rule out the possibility of an England batsman reaching a double hundred in 50-over cricket in the near future.
He said: "There are a number of players in our team who are definitely capable of scoring a double hundred given the opportunity to bat that long.
"To think Jason was out in the 35th over (at The Oval) scoring 160, without looking like he was trying to hit every ball for four or six but still scoring quickly was quite scary – but a good kind of scary. When you’re sat at the other end there’s no pressure on you in that situation and it’s the same with Hales, Morgan, Buttler.
"It’s great to start your innings with a settled feeling out in the middle. It’s exciting and amazing to see guys come in and do that in such a short space of time. If he (Roy) can keep that hunger and greed in his batting, he’s going to be a really exciting prospect for us in the future."
England's batting now boasts magnificent strength in depth, with the likes of Sam Billings and James Vince on the fringes of the side. But for Root, it was the maturity of Roy, Hales and the rest which is the biggest asset to the team.
He said: "With (Jason) Roy and (Alex) Hales coming in and looking like guys who have played a lot of One-Day cricket. At no stage chasing down 300 in 42 overs, did we think it wasn’t a possibility.
“That maturity is something that’s come a long way in the last couple of years and it’s going to have to keep improving if we want to be the best in the world. But it’s really nice to know that if there are a couple of injuries, there are players who can come in without weakening the side."
Root also reiterated England's desire to secure a 3-0 series win, with victory at Cardiff. England's ODI skipper Eoin Morgan has called for more consistenty in their 50-over game and Root repeated the hosts' ambition to shut-out the series in style.
He added: "We’ve played some really strong stuff, bar a six-over blip in our batting in the first game at Trent Bridge, and if we can continue winning and gaining momentum, that sets us up well for the rest of the summer."
Root and his England teammates take on Sri Lanka from 10.30am tomorrow at The SSE SWALEC. A limited number of tickets are still available by clicking here.