Peter Moores admitted that England are under pressure going in to the crunch game against Bangladesh tomorrow amid signs that Alex Hales may be in line for a recall.
Nothing less than victory will be enough for England to stay in contention for a place in the quarter-finals and Moores, the head coach, insisted that his side are “very up for the challenge.”
Hales, who has not figured in the tournament so far, had a long chat with Eoin Morgan, the captain, after practice on Saturday and batted alongside Ian Bell at nets this morning.
Later, Ballance stayed on for a one-to-one session with Moores, who subsequently gave a strong message of support for the batsmen while refusing to state that he will retain his slot having scored 36 runs in four innings to date.
There is no doubt among the management that Ballance is fundamentally a sound player with the potential to be a major force at the highest level, but they are also aware of short-term requirements.
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Another option would be to bring back Ravi Bopara, who is desperate to make an impact and would also offer an alternative with the ball to the fast-medium pace and off-spin that has prevailed so far.
Moores said: “Gary is a really good player. He has had a tough time of it and I think he knows that, but it doesn’t mean he isn’t a good player and in tournament play you are obviously trying to get the best 11 out there to win a game.”
England will also be tempted to tinker with the bowling attack following the poor display against Sri Lanka in Wellington a week ago, with Chris Jordan in strong contention as a possible replacement for Steven Finn.
Moores said: “There is pressure in the World Cup and there is certainly pressure on us as a team because we have not played as well as we would like to have done. Part of international cricket is about handling pressure and we have had some challenges.
“International cricket is played by tough men and there is no compromise in that. We have senior players and their responsibility is to be like that and help others to integrate.
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“Our younger players are coming through that, they have come through some pretty tough experiences over this winter and they have to adapt and come back with something, so yes it is a pressure game. In our preparation I only see players who are very excited and feel they have a point to prove.”
Moores took another look at the drop-in surface today and predicted a high-scoring game. “Historically it is a good batting pitch here so I expect it to be full of runs,” he said. “Bowling-wise we will put out the best attack to take wickets and put Bangladesh under pressure.”