Desperate England must now place a belated trust in Alex Hales

The most thrilling batsman i n England's squad has been given no opportunityEngland must win two matches to qualify for the quarter-finals of the World Cup. To achieve that there is another compulsory element: change the team that has managed to bring them this low. Wholesale amendments are neither possible nor desirable at this late stage.

The balance of the team, if not quite the precise composition, was, or should have been, settled months ago. But they have failed in conception and execution, hesitant when they should have been bold, cavalier when they might have been cautious, afraid of failing and therefore bound to fail.Into this fragile structure must be thrown Alex Hales, who has been dealt the worst of cards by the selectors.

He is the most thrilling batsman in the squad, a destroyer of opposition attacks, yet he has been given no opportunity to flourish in the one-day format.Picked belatedly last summer when it was realised something had to be done, he has not been allowed a proper sequence of games.

He played another three times in Sri Lanka late last year, always as an afterthought or because the side needed cobbling together. It has almost been as if England do not trust him.They have no option.

To stick with the XI that has been defeated three times by a landslide would be an abrogation of responsibility. Gary Ballance, who was always a hunch given how late in the day he was called up, has been disturbingly out of form.

His leaden-footed exhibitions, as if he were modelling pit boots, have been strangely at odds with the assured, controlled craftsman who dominated opponents in Test matches last summer.Perhaps Ballance will come again, perhaps he does not have the versatility to be an international one-day batsman despite his excellent returns for Yorkshire, but he has to be jettisoned now. Ideally, Hales would open (his natural position) and Ian Bell drop down to three.

But Bell and Moeen Ali batted together in England’s middle practice yesterday at St Peter’s School in Adelaide, suggesting they are not about to split. Hales will then have to settle for first drop.

Other changes could be made. Stuart Broad has taken two wickets in the tournament, none in the last three matches, and Steve Finn is still a shadow of his former self no matter what it says in the wickets column. Chris Jordan, not the most trustworthy of bowlers, has more components as a player; James Tredwell never did anything to deserve being dropped.Despite their wretchedness, all the evidence suggests England should overcome Bangladesh on Monday.

True, Bangladesh have won two of the last three matches between the sides, in Bristol and in the last World Cup, in Chittagong, but they were four years ago.

The lack of potency in Bangladesh’s attack should mean that one or two England batsmen play substantial enough innings for the totals not to be close. Equally, England’s bowlers will have to be wary.

Bangladesh, with nothing to lose, will be fearless and if two of them can stay around just long enough then vulnerable opponents will begin to feel brittle once more.

What England should avoid is settling for a total of around 300 if nearer 400 is possible.“It’s good for us that it’s very simple,” said Jos Buttler, England’s vice-captain, yesterday.

“We have to play well and win two games of cricket if we want to progress to the next stage. Everyone knows what we need to do, now we have to go out and do it.“We just haven’t played well enough for 100 overs. We’ve played against some good sides who have shown us up when we’ve given them the chance.

Teams have taken their chances and taken them well against us.“We feel like we’re under-performing and everyone’s desperate to turn that around. In simple terms, we need to play better. If we don’t think we can turn it around we may as well go home. Everyone’s got to have that determination and drive to turn it around.

If you’re admitting defeat already there’s no point in playing these two games.”Outside the camp, if not inside it, there is a sense of resignation that the team’s brand of cricket is not smart enough. They may not feel it, but there is a concerning sense of indifference towards their lack of progress here.

Followers did not expect much, have not had their expectations contradicted and are thus disengaged.The players are right in one thing: a couple of resounding victories could begin to change perceptions. After Bangladesh they move to Sydney to meet Afghanistan, a resonant fixture for reasons far beyond cricket.

England can afford no errors. That knowledge creates the potential for mishap. They are fortunate that their immediate destiny still lies in their own hands.