Eoin Morgan at ease about standing in for Kevin Pietersen

England's replacement for Kevin Pietersen has also switched sports, of course, having given up on his plan to cheer on Manchester United against Marseille next week once he got the call to join his one-day international team-mates on the sub-continent.

Morgan is confident, too, that, despite having played no cricket since his broken finger forced him out of the final match of seven against Australia, he is ready to do his adopted country proud again, this time against Bangladesh.

The Irishman has had a snakes-and-ladders experience over the past month, replaced himself in England's World Cup squad when the advice was that he would need surgery - only for his finger to heal much more quickly than expected. He found himself back in the reckoning when England needed a batsman to replace Pietersen, whose hernia problem became too much to bear.

England have since endured further injury disruption, and last night the ICC approved their application for Chris Tremlett as the like-for-like replacement after Stuart Broad suffered a side strain.

Morgan heard on Monday that he would be required, and it appears to have been no great hardship to forsake next week's trip to Old Trafford. "I was going away to a Champions League match, but that has been cancelled," he said. Instead, England want him back at his scintillating best in England's middle order.

Morgan is at ease with the expectation of filling Pietersen's boots, and becoming England's linchpin again at No 5. "It doesn't really bother me at all," he said. "I play the exact same role and try and execute my skills as much as I can."

He is also confident he and fellow replacement Tremlett will be up to the task. "To lose two world-class players in Kevin and Stuart is going to be a big loss," Morgan said. "But, in the past - as we have seen, maybe in the Ashes series in recent times - guys have come in and filled other guys' places, done very well and we have gone on to do exceptionally well."

Bangladesh insist they are back on an even keel after last week's embarrassing nine- wicket defeat against West Indies. Frustrated fans reportedly thought they were throwing stones at the home team's bus when windows were instead smashed in the West Indies' transport as it left Dhaka's Sher-e-Bangla Stadium.

Then captain Shakib al-Hasan had windows broken at his home when more stones were thrown in anger. Batsman Junaid Siddique said: "We are now more united as a team."

Junaid reported, too, that Bangladesh are indifferent to the absences of Pietersen and Broad. "If we play to our potential we can beat anyone," he said.