England must not let rivals rile them like Pakistan did so well

Just as England can now expect to face a spinner at the start of all their World Cup innings, they will also have to cope with opponents trying extra hard to wind them up.

A far bigger concern for the hot favourites than defeat at the hands of Pakistan on Monday was the way England lost their cool in the face of relatively mild provocation, which will surely be ramped up for the rest of the tournament.

The fines the ICC handed out on Tuesday to Jason Roy and Jofra Archer after the thrilling, fractious 14-run defeat at Trent Bridge were symbolic of a worrying lack of discipline in the field from a usually relaxed and fearless England.

A fuming Jason Roy hesitates before leaving the field after being dismissed against Pakistan

Now they will not only have to beat Bangladesh in a massive game at Cardiff on Saturday, but also prove they are not affected by the pressure and expectations that came with their spectacular rise to the top of the 50-over world.

After his outstanding start to the tournament against South Africa, Roy in particular appeared to feel the heat in Nottingham.

His error-riddled display was so hot-headed that captain Eoin Morgan at one stage banished him from cover point.

In truth, a fine of 15 per cent of Roy’s match fee, for breaching level one of the ICC code of conduct, is an overly officious punishment from a governing body that specialises in pedantry, rather than tackling the game’s biggest issues.

Roy may well have been guilty of mouthing an ‘audible obscenity’ after a misfield, but really, is that such a big deal?

It is highly unlikely any spectator in a heaving Trent Bridge would have heard him – let alone been offended by what he said – so unless umpires Marais Erasmus and S Ravi are more delicate than imagined and took issue, it seems heavy-handed.

The same punishment for Archer, for dissent towards an umpire for signalling a wide, was more justified. It was also a reminder of the inexperience of a rare talent who will suffer bad days like this, as well as plenty of good ones.

Jofra Archer looks frustrated after one of his deliveries is signalled as a wide at Trent Bridge

Jofra Archer looks frustrated after one of his deliveries is signalled as a wide at Trent Bridge

It could have been worse and England should be relieved it was Pakistan captain Sarfaraz Ahmed who was fined for a poor over-rate rather than Morgan, after the hosts took 19 minutes longer than allotted to bowl their 50 overs.

Morgan has already missed one game this year for a poor over-rate – against Pakistan at Bristol – and he could easily have been suspended for two matches now or been handed a final warning that would have been hanging over him throughout the World Cup.

England could leave out leg-spinner Adil Rashid, who does not look fully fit with a shoulder problem, for Cardiff’s short straight boundaries on Saturday. That would place extra emphasis on Morgan to get a move on against Bangladesh.

Just as big a concern is the way England were distracted by the Pakistan supporters in the Trent Bridge crowd, and their obsession with their opponents’ apparent attempts to scuff up the white balls by throwing them into the ground.

It was the unlikely figure of Chris Woakes who ‘shushed’ Pakistan supporters after taking an excellent catch in front of them, but far more predictable was the sight of Roy and Ben Stokes joining in with gestures as the umpires told England to cool it.

‘It was just a bit of banter, really,’ insisted Woakes. ‘I was copping a bit of abuse, as you do from the opposition. When I took the catch it was just a little “shhh”. I always do it with a smile on my face.’

Chris Woakes 'shushed' Pakistan fans during England's 14-run defeat at Trent Bridge last week

Chris Woakes ‘shushes’ Pakistan supporters after taking an excellent catch in front of them

There will be plenty more where that came from, and England must deal with it. They would also be best advised not to hint at malpractice with the ball by Pakistan when they were also warned for the same offence. And the ball was not exactly reverse swinging around corners after Pakistan got their hands on it.

At least England know that Bangladesh, who beat South Africa at the Oval on Sunday, do not have a frontline leg-spinner, so cannot repeat the opening bowling success of Imran Tahir and Shadab Khan in dismissing Jonny Bairstow and Roy respectively.

Instead, they can expect to see slow left-armer Shakib Al Hasan or one of his spinning compatriots take one of the new balls.

‘I don’t think it was a car crash by any means,’ said Woakes of a fielding performance described by Nasser Hussain in Sportsmail as one of the worst he has seen from this England team. ‘We are going to have our ups and downs and it’s how we bounce back.

‘We’re looking to play our best cricket in every game. This time we didn’t but we are looking to bring it back in Cardiff. You probably want to lose one in this fashion sooner rather than later.

‘You don’t want a performance like that in a more high-pressure game, a must-win. The good thing about this group is that when we’ve had a bad performance, we’ve bounced back very well.’

The need for them to bounce back quickly has suddenly become imperative.

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