England vs Afghanistan was supposed to be a game where Eoin Morgan's men probably play to decide which position amongst the top four they finish in Pool A to eventually decide their quarterfinal opponents. Instead, it is a dead rubber, with both teams out of contention for a last-eight place at this ICC Cricket World Cup 2015.
The loss to Bangladesh on Monday will go down as one of England's lowest moments in their ODI history, and even if they put up a good show against Afghanistan in Sydney, it will matter little in the grand scheme of things, with plenty of people waiting with their knives out once the team get back home after this game on Friday.
"The boys are still hurting," said England assistant coach Paul Farbrace. "We can have no complaints about some of the stick that we've taken because it hasn't been good enough.
"I'm not sure we've recovered from the first two games of the tournament. We got blown away in those two games and I don't think we've really recovered.
"There's been a lot said about our nervousness and tension we are playing with and I think it's hard to argue against that. That's been the biggest disappointment, thinking about what might have been.
"If losing the game to Bangladesh was terrible we couldn't possibly imagine what it will be like if this game goes against us. That would be horrendous."
Afghanistan will certainly think they can knock this England team down. In patches, the Afghans have impressed, particularly with their bowling, and having picked up their first ever World Cup victory in this edition, the team from Asia will look for their biggest scalp yet.
If Afghanistan can match their batting and middle-innings bowling with their early wicket=taking ability via their impressive pacers, then England might just have to face up to another big embarrassment.
"We came here expecting to surprise somebody," said Afghanistan coach Andy Moles. "We nearly got it right with Sri Lanka, and if we can be consistent and do the things well at the right times, I still believe that we have a shot in us. But we'll have to be at our very best and we'll need England to be below par.
"What we need are fixtures. We want to win friends and impress people through this tournament," added Moles, who knows a win over England will make the world stand up and take notice of his team.
"Afghanistan is not just a war-torn area. It's a promising group of cricketers. If we can persuade people to give us the opportunity to play against them in the UAE where we played our home games, then I think that will be the best way that our players can move forward and get better.
"They're a very passionate group of cricketers that have huge pride in their performance for the fans at home. That's something that drives them. We need the opportunity to play more. I speak on behalf of the nations just below us as well. What we desperately deserve is opportunity."
Where to Watch Live
England vs Afghanistan is scheduled for a 2.30 pm local time (9 am IST, 3.30 am GMT, 10.30 pm ET) start with live coverage in India on Star Sports. Audience in India can also watch the match via live streaming online on Starsports.com or Star Sports Live Pro.
ESPN will show all the action live in the US, while the game can also be live streamed on Watch ESPN. Viewers in the UK can tune into Sky Sports 2 to watch the match, or catch the action online on Sky Go.
Australia viewers can watch the match live on Channel 9 and Fox Sports or via live stream on Foxtel and Cricket Australia Live. Audience in New Zealand will be able to watch the game live on Sky TV or Sky Go NZ.
