England have a spring in their step ahead of the Afghanistan match

England looked fortified by their Himalayan break on Tuesday, bouncing back from a depressing defeat to New Zealand, to despatch Bangladesh by a margin of 137 runs in Dharamshala.

In hindsight, England were conspicuously superior and the match a little one-sided, with Bangladesh’s batting intimidated by the steepling bounce achieved by the very tall Reece Topley, who had replaced Moeen Ali’s off spin.

But make no mistake, Bangladesh are a more than decent team who, on their day, can beat any international side. They surprised England in the 2015 World Cup and pipped India as recently as last month. With pressure on England, the Dharmshala match had the potential for a shock defeat. England have done well to come through unscathed, including without injuries; the latter was a concern given the sandy outfield.

England’s innings was built on the 140 runs of Dawid Malan, the left-handed opener striking the ball with immense power, particularly square on the legside.