“I made the mistake of thinking that it will be all right when we get there.” Those were the reflections of Rob Key in November 2023, 18 months into his stint as England’s managing director, on a dreadful World Cup defence in India.

Three years on, Key is still director of cricket and in a rare position, given he has been granted the opportunity to learn from his errors. There is some evidence here that, following a poor period in the unloved ODI format either side of that 2023 World Cup, England are plotting a strong and coherent plan for next year’s tournament.

On Tuesday, they begin the final descent into the 2027 World Cup, where they will play matches in Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe. In a year’s time, that gruelling tournament will be in full swing, but before then England have a winter that features at least 10 ODIs and a summer next year including 10 more. This starts with a throwback tri-series in Pakistan, their first since 2015, where they face the hosts on Tuesday. Pakistan began the tournament by beating Sri Lanka on Sunday.

England have lots to learn from 2023. Even by the standards of their sorry World Cup history, that was a low ebb – and partly because the seeds were sown long before. England had won the 2019 World Cup (just) thanks to meticulous planning under Eoin Morgan. Having bombed out of the 2015 World Cup, they chose a group of players, many new, and set their sights on victory on home soil in 2019. Between the two tournaments, they played 88 ODIs (winning 58), using just 32 players, 12 of whom played in more than half their matches.

But after winning that tournament, England allowed their ODI cricket to rot. This was partly down to the schedule, partly the English game’s complacent attitude, and partly Covid, which necessitated split squads and meant key players were funnelled away from ODIs. They played just 42 matches between the 2019 and 2023 tournaments, with the schedule pivoting to T20. They used 44 players, only eight of whom played more than half the matches. They won 22 games, but were a shadow of their old selves.

Because they played so little ODI cricket and the Hundred meant there was no serious domestic 50-over cricket, it became unclear who England’s best players were. In 2022, the totemic Morgan retired, and other once-great players struggled for rhythm because Matthew Mott, the new coach, never had his best team. Key prioritised Brendon McCullum’s Test set-up because that was what needed the most work and fans cared most about. In November 2023, Key added: “We made the assumption that, even without playing lots of 50-over cricket, this is such a good team that it will just slip into old habits and we’ll be able to go out there and win.”

It did not. Ben Stokes came out of retirement. England initially left out Harry Brook, the young blood, only to bring him in for Jason Roy, who thought his place in the squad was assured. For the first game of the tournament, they fielded a team that had never played together. By the fifth of their nine games, the entire XI was over the age of 30. The had a 15-player squad, but still found a way to make three changes regularly. They suffered a first defeat by Afghanistan and spent the final month playing for pride.

This time, they do have a coherent plan. Under captain Brook and McCullum, England have turned a corner this year, winning all three of their series 2-1. Competition for places in the 15-man squad in 11 months’ time will be fierce, because many options are putting their hands up in most key positions. Fifty-over cricket is a major priority at Lions level, which is vital because of the glaring issue with the domestic schedule. England are even booking warm-up games, which were once not McCullum’s style at all, including in Perth next month. Suddenly, resting big names in ODIs is rare (although Jofra Archer is resting for Pakistan, having played in every calendar month this year, which itself is rare given his injury woes).

England have settled on a team structure, with Will Jacks balancing it as the off-spinning finisher, and have a nice blend of ages. Four members of the 2019 squad remain, but the core of this team is Brook’s age, so will be late twenties next year. The boozy insouciance that was their downfall in New Zealand a year ago, which finished with Brook being hit by a nightclub bouncer then playing the next day, appears to have been flushed out. McCullum is putting a high price on fitness and attitude, while the players seem to enjoy each other’s company, which was the case in 2019, but perhaps not in 2023.

In Pakistan, they are without the injured Jacob Bethell and Jos Buttler, which gives Tom Banton and Jordan Cox further opportunities to make themselves indispensable. Archer’s absence provides more chances for Gus Atkinson and Sonny Baker. Spin will be important in South Africa next year, making this a big tour for two of the 2019 survivors, Adil Rashid and Liam Dawson, since Rehan Ahmed has been sent back to the Lions. It is also an opportunity for Ben Duckett – such a fine sweeper – to shore up his spot after a tired end to the summer.

“It’s a great experience for us and with the potential of getting to a final, it gives us even more experience in those games where it’s do-or-die. It’s going to be one hell of a series,” Brook told the Press Association in Pakistan.

“In the last six to eight months and we’re certainly trending in the right direction as a squad. I think we’re really building towards the make-up of the side that we want.

“Me and Baz [McCullum] feel like we’ve got a squad where if someone does go down five minutes before the toss, we’re in a position where someone else can come in and fill that role perfectly well.”