As England’s Cricket World Cup roadshow takes them to Dharamsala, on the edge of the Himalayas, the equation is a straightforward one: return to winning ways by beating Bangladesh or be left with a mountain to climb.
The manner of Thursday’s pasting by New Zealand has granted Jos Buttler’s side little margin for error, even with the tournament less than a week old. The days since have set the standard, with South Africa blitzing a World Cup record score against Sri Lanka and hosts India tying Australia in knots en route to a six-wicket win.
