Curran using England’s packed T20 schedule as ODI World Cup audition

A s England’s white-ball squad gathered in Dhaka there was widespread optimism that the ODI series could be won. There was also recognition that in unfamiliar conditions and against a side with a formidable home record the path to success would not be straightforward.

Two contrasting victories later the tourists have done it with a game to spare, and banked a significant morale boost before a World Cup to be played in similar conditions. That October tournament seems distant, but opportunities to impress in this format are rare. Monday’s final ODI in Chittagong will have no bearing on the outcome of this series, but it could have an enormous impact on the players involved.

The squad, with a couple of minor tweaks, will launch straight into a three-game T20 series on Thursday, but the next England ODI is six months away, by which time their squad for the World Cup will have to be almost finalised. The first of four encounters with New Zealand in September comes a few days before the deadline to submit the list to the ICC.

Nor will there be many opportunities in the English domestic summer for these players to prove their prowess over 50 overs. As was the case last year, most fixtures in the Royal London One-Day Cup will be played in August while these players, if not resting, are likely to be otherwise engaged with the Hundred. It is a competition that current England internationals are rarely seen in: Ben Stokes last played in 2014, Jos Buttler in 2016, Joe Root has played once since 2017, and Moeen Ali and Sam Curran not at all since 2018.

On this tour Dawid Malan, Jason Roy and Curran have produced performances that may have removed any question mark alongside their name on the longlist, but for others whose place is