For the first time in a long time, England go into Sunday’s one-day international against India at Edgbaston as underdogs.

Their World Cup schedule looked nicely laid out for them, playing their three hardest matches at the end. Get things right and they could have been qualified before playing any of them.

Successive defeats to Sri Lanka and Australia, however, have left them with it all to do and they will be nervously keeping an eye on Pakistan’s game against New Zealand today.

If they need to win both their final pool games — against India and New Zealand — and fail, they only have themselves to blame.

I never liked England’s status as frontrunners. They had earned it with great results, but I think it weighed heavily on them. Now they’re not, I think they’ve got a good chance! They just have to win.

Their issues have started at the top of the order, where they have missed Jason Roy so much. The first 10 overs of each innings decided yesterday’s match. England did not take wickets, Australia did — and won. If you lose two wickets early, you can pretty much write off your really big 300-plus scores.

For four years, England have got off to great starts most of the time. If Roy hasn’t smashed you, Jonny Bairstow or Alex Hales has. Remember when we were so blessed with openers that Bairstow couldn’t get a game? All three would have got in any other team, but one had to miss out. Now, with Roy injured and Hales gone, they have an unproven international batsman struggling in a really important position.

In the series against Pakistan before the World Cup, England lost one wicket in the first 10 overs in four matches — James Vince at Headingley. They were getting off to great starts and averaged 73.5 runs in the powerplay.

It has been a different story in the World Cup. Three times now they have lost an opener for a duck to the second ball of the match, and they have lost nine powerplay wickets in seven matches, only twice getting through unscathed. Joe Root is having an outstanding tournament, but he failed yesterday. This was a reminder that he cannot do it every game and that we take his consistency for granted.

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During the Pakistan series, Ben Stokes joked that he had the best seat in the house for watching the other batsmen smash it to all parts. Now, his team-mates are watching him pick up the pieces.

There are many contributing factors to this, beyond personnel and the increased pressure of a tournament, such as pitches not being as good for batting and the quality of the attacks they are facing. With Mitchell Starc flying, Australia’s attack yesterday was a far cry from the one England flogged last summer. They are real contenders for this tournament.

If I was England, I would be giving Roy the Steve Waugh treatment to ensure he was fit for these last two games. In the 2001 Ashes, when Waugh had a calf injury, Australia physio Errol Alcott was setting alarms every two hours throughout the night to ice and treat it. Waugh scored a century at The Oval and there is the iconic image of him raising his bat while lying on the ground.

Roy cannot return soon enough. He keeps the rest of the batting in kilter and is in the form of his life.

In Pictures | Cricket World Cup 2019 leading run scorers 13 show all In Pictures | Cricket World Cup 2019 leading run scorers 1/13 Who are the leading run scorers at the Cricket World Cup? Getty Images for CWC19 2/13 Rohit Sharma (India) Innings: 9

Runs: 648 AP 3/13 David Warner (Australia) Innings: 10

Runs: 647 AP 4/13 Shakib Al Hasan ​(Bangladesh) Innings: 8

Runs: 606 Action Images via Reuters 5/13 Kane Williamson (New Zealand) Innings: 10

Runs: 578 Getty Images 6/13 Joe Root (England) Innings: 10

Runs: 549 AFP/Getty Images 7/13 Aaron Finch (Australia) Innings: 10

Runs: 507 AFP/Getty Images 8/13 Jonny Bairstow (England) Innings: 10

Runs: 496 PA 9/13 Babar Azam (Pakistan) Innings: 8

Runs: 474 AFP/Getty Images 10/13 Jason Roy (England) Innings: 7

Runs: 443 AFP/Getty Images 11/13 Virat Kohli (India) Innings: 9

Runs: 443 PA 12/13 Faf du Plessis (South Africa) Innings: 8

Runs: 387 Getty Images 13/13 Ben Stokes (England) Innings: 9

Runs: 381 AFP/Getty Images 1/13 Who are the leading run scorers at the Cricket World Cup? Getty Images for CWC19 2/13 Rohit Sharma (India) Innings: 9

Runs: 648 AP 3/13 David Warner (Australia) Innings: 10

Runs: 647 AP 4/13 Shakib Al Hasan ​(Bangladesh) Innings: 8

Runs: 606 Action Images via Reuters 5/13 Kane Williamson (New Zealand) Innings: 10

Runs: 578 Getty Images 6/13 Joe Root (England) Innings: 10

Runs: 549 AFP/Getty Images 7/13 Aaron Finch (Australia) Innings: 10

Runs: 507 AFP/Getty Images 8/13 Jonny Bairstow (England) Innings: 10

Runs: 496 PA 9/13 Babar Azam (Pakistan) Innings: 8

Runs: 474 AFP/Getty Images 10/13 Jason Roy (England) Innings: 7

Runs: 443 AFP/Getty Images 11/13 Virat Kohli (India) Innings: 9

Runs: 443 PA 12/13 Faf du Plessis (South Africa) Innings: 8

Runs: 387 Getty Images 13/13 Ben Stokes (England) Innings: 9

Runs: 381 AFP/Getty Images

His return would boost the team, but the rest of them need to remember that they have done a lot right in this tournament; remember the four games they’ve won, because their good is very good.

Even in these two defeats, Stokes has been outstanding. We all knew he was a class act, but every player wants to be remembered as someone who stood up when the going was tough.

In fact, you would say that apart from Vince, everyone has had good moments. Bairstow has got runs, Eoin Morgan has played one of the best knocks you will ever see and Jos Buttler scored a brilliant century against Pakistan.

We’re all talking about what England haven’t done, but in a do-or-die situation, they need to ignore the noise of the analysts picking them apart and focus on what they have done well.