England vs Afghanistan – Cricket World Cup LIVE: Jos Buttler’s side in control as Mark Wood picks up latest wicket to reduce opponents to 190/6

41 overs: Adil Rashid comes back on now. Five singles from the over. Scoring should naturally pick up now but Afghanistan won’t get near the 30 the captain wanted.

42 overs: Nice shot from Ikram to get the 42nd underway with a boundary. Just two from the rest of the over however.

43 overs: Bairstow does really well on the boundary to stop a four off the first ball and Rashid strays too far down leg side. He then almost catches out his namesake with a good googly. Four from it, good pressue.

40 overs: Oh, Topley is back. First tme since he went off injured.

Not the worst over, nothing too eventful. Nine from it including an outside edge for four. 10 to go.

39 overs: There’s a good crowd in to be fair. It’s got a lot better.

Wood is steaming in here, some sight. He hits the body of Ikram on this occasion. On his neck, actually. No neck guard which I’m not sure is the smartest move. Would bet the next delivery is short…

37 overs: Jheez. Some shot first up from Rashid, who has immense support from the crowd. Cover drive creamed for four.

Wood then beats the bat and Rashid hits one areial for four but it’s bang inbetween two fielders.

38 overs: Livingstone finihses off his spell and he ends with figures of 1/33. Very nicely done and he should have had more for his work with the missed stumping and another Rashid shot flying past backward point under no control.

36.1 overs: Wood is in on the action! A short ball, naturally quick, and Nabi gets himself in a right tangle and spoons it straight to Joe Root at backward point.

Rashid Khan in next and this is really disappointing for Afghanistan.

36 overs: Livingstone continues and he should have another wicket. The ball beats the bat and Ikram is out his ground but Buttler doesn’t gather the ball cleanly and by the time he does the batter is back in.

34 overs: Five from Livingstone’s eighth.

35 overs: Mark Wood is back on. Joe Root’s job is done. He beats the edge of Nabi second ball. Third sees a swing and a miss. Just three from the over.

33 overs: Afghanistan still have a bit of batting to come – Nabi and Rashid are more than capable – but they’re going to be a way off what they need to get here.

Nabi is the new man. He sweeps Root’s final ball for four to get off the mark.

32 overs: Four from Livingstone’s latest. What a job he is doing.

32.1 overs: WICKET! Joe Root is in on the act. Clean bowling Hashmat, who never got going, with the perfect length and good pace, clipping off stump.

30 overs: Quicker from Livingstone and it’s so good. Close to the outside edge. He’s bowling really well. One from his latest. He’s 1/14 off six.

It reminds me of a game between England and Australia a few years ago when the Aussies just let Root bowl his 10 overs through unchallenged.

31 overs: Speaking of Root, three form his latest.

28 overs: It’s Livingstone and Root in tandem now and they’re doing well. Explains why Moeen has been left out.

Two form the former’s latest over.

29 overs: Saying that, Root is hammered over mid-wicket for six by Ikram. That was needed.

27 overs: Ikram Ali Khil is the new man. He doesn’t have the best numbers.

Joe Root is on now for some off spin. Hashmatullah Shahidi said his side need 300 and they’re not on for that right now.

Good from Root, but for four off the last ball. 38/4 Afghanistan have lost.

26 overs: Livingstone continues to steadily go about his business. And gets a wicket last ball! Azmat goes ariel and it’s caught on the boundary by Woakes!

25 overs: Chris Woakes is back on. Important spell this.

His second ball goes for six. Cool. Way too full.

Four off his fourth ball too despite Curran’s best efforts. Too wide.

24 overs: A big LBW call off Livingstone and Buttler reviews. Close.

It’s the off spinner. If he’s not hit that it could be out. High maybe? Yeah, missing.

21 overs: There’s so much more control now for England. Rashid’s done great since he’s come on and Jos Buttler deserves credit for that.

22 overs: Good from Livingstone again, bowling leg spin and off spin. Priceless overs with Topley potentially struggling.

23 overs: A close all for another runout as Livingstone throws to Buttler. He was probably better off going for the nin-striker’s end.

The two spinners in tandem now though.

19 overs: Gurbaz has just been run out for 80 by his captain. He is absoltely fuming and smashes the ground with his bat. Can’t blame him.

20 overs: Azmatullah Omarzai is the next man in with two ne batters in the middle. Liam Livingstone is one for a bowl and his first over goes for two.

18.4 overs: Hashmatullah Shahidi, Afghanistan captain, is in next. Really good from Rashid.

Topley is back on! He looks OK. A big sigh of relief for England.

WICKET! MY WORD! It’s a run out and Gurbaz is gone!!!

18.3 overs: Reece Topley is walking in the dugut. He might be OK, you know…

Jos Buttler thinks he’s stumped Rahmat off Rashid here… He has! He’s miles out. A second for England.

17 overs: Rahmat Shah is the new man iun.

18 overs: I imagine there are easier tasks in cricket than starting a white ball innings against Mark Wood. Good from England’s premier fast bowler.

Jos Buttler will have to get funky with his selection if, as expected, Topley is done for the day.

16.4 overs: Ben Stokes is attracting the attention of a few fans as he makes his way around the outfield.

WICKET! Finally! Rashid strikes as Zadran goes for a big shot and he chips it straight to Joe Root at mid-wicket.

Oh how England needed that.

14 overs: Protection out for Wood now stopping another Gurbaz boundary. A quiet over, four from it.

15 overs: Rashid continues after drinks A much-needed maiden.

16 overs: It’s not actually been too bad from England outside of Woakes’ and Curran’s overs. Uh oh, Topley may be injured here. He dives to try and save four and signals straight away. Off he goes.

A good three overs from England with the ball, but that injury is not good. It was an awkward dive.

12 overs: Mark Wood is introduced to the attack. This will go one of two ways.

Quick from Wood and Gurbaz says thanks very much. He uppercuts for six off a short one.

13 overs: There’s a vague LBW appeal against Gurbaz off the first ball of Rashid’s next over but he’s well outside the line. A big six follows! What an innings this is. 100 on the board.

11 overs: Adil Rashid is on then, earlier than Jos Buttler would have liked.

Dinesh Karthik has just said on Sky how strong Gurbaz is on the sweep and he hammers one for four to pick up his half century. 33 balls and he’s taken it to the champions.

10 overs: Topley will continue. He’s doing alright to be fair.

It’s a quiet over – economical – and that’s the powerplay done. Gurbaz is on 46 and Zadran 22. A fantastic poweplay from Afghanistan.

9 overs: Curran bowls the first no ball of the game and it will be a free hit. Just one from it.

Another lovely drive from Gurbaz who picks up four more. He made it look easy and is absolutely flying.

Curran then goes too straight and the opener flicks for four more. He then smashed it for six! He is full steam ahead here!

8 overs: The angle goes against Topley on this occasion as Gurbaz allows the ball across him and carves for another four.

Better next up with a slower ball that beats the edge. There hasn’t been much of that so far.

A better end as he goes slow. Curran will probably do that too.

7 overs: Woakes is out the attack and Sam Curran is on. Good call.

Well, four first ball. Nice cover drive. Gurbaz has raced to 24 from 17 but Zadran is 17 from 22 now and starting to pick up.

The 50 is up from 43 balls for Afghanistan. Shahidi called for 300 before the game and they’re well on their way to that as things stand.

Just two more from Curran’s first over.

6 overs: Zadran drives Topley through the offside this time as Afghanistan continue their good start. Wide next ball.

WIdth the next ball again from Topley and Gurbaz helps himself to another four through the off side. If he’s starting leaking runs too then England are in big trouble.

4 overs: Good again from Topley as he varies his length, albeit with a wide in there. No early wicket yet however.

5 overs: The deep square leg comes out for Woakes next over. Width though next ball – in fairness I think Gurbaz has made it for himself – and he smashes it through the covers for four more.

Four more next ball too before another change in the field with point going out. He’s gone for 31 from his first three and I’d be surprised if he got another.

3 overs: Gurbaz charges Woakes’ second ball and gets nowhere near it to be honest, spooning it up. He’s lucky the fielders are in the circle becuase it drops miles away from the boundary.

Woakes then goes shorter and Gurba sits in his crease and pulls beautifully for six. Another wide follows.

Bairstow is beaten at point after that. Should have been stopped but it’s gone under his hands.

Woakes is struggling here.

2 overs: Topley from the other end as expected.

Much better from him, left arm over the wicket. He starts with a maiden.

1 over: We’re underway then and it’ll be Chris Woakes to open the bowling. He’s not had the best of tournaments so far and has been ill in the build-up to this one.

Ibrahim Zadran and Rahmanullah Gurbaz to open for Afghanistan, and it’s five wides to start. Sloppy from Woakes and Buttler who fails to take it too.

The third ball sees a thick outside edge from Gurbaz but Topley comes round to field. Seven from the first.

The anthems are all done and we’re about to get underway.

Not too many fans in the ground once again, unsurprisingly.

Dawid Malan is ripping up the final two years of his Yorkshire contract in a bid to prolong his England career.

Malan, 36, only extended his deal at Headingley until 2025 last October but is understood to be re-negotiating terms to white ball only in a move that signals he has given up hope of adding to his 22 Test caps.

He is one of the star’s of England’s white ball teams, of course hitting 140 against Bangladesh, and he wants it to stay that was for a little while yet.

The pitch has been good in Delhi with four hundreds so far at the ground.

South Africa posted over 400 not too long ago and the pitch won’t spin too much, with spin very much Afghanistan’s strong point.

They will be confident chasing, but the bowling outfit is decent. Rashid Khan is yet to show his best but we know his skills, as well as those of the likes of Nabi, Mujeeb and Naveen.

Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi syas he wanted to bowl too but he makes one change to his side that lost to India.

Gurbaz, Zadran, Shah, Shahidi, Omarzai, Nabi, Alikhil, Rashid, Mujeeb, Naveen-ul-Haq, Farooqi is their team.

So England are unchanged, which means no Ben Stokes again today.

Bairstow, Malan, Root, Brook, Buttler, Livingstone, Woakes, Curran, Rashid, Wood, Topley. That’s the team.

Jos Buttler calls correctly and he wants to bowl.

‘No particualr reason,’ he says. Just fancies a chase.

They go unchanged with their side.

England’s opponents had hopes of making a statement or two during this tournament but that’s not materialised so far.

An opening-game heavy loss to Bangladesh came before a hammering from India, so they need to get on the board today if they are to have any chance in the world of qualifying.

They’re up against it, though coach and former England star Jonathan Trott is backing his side.

Ben Stokes provided one of the major talking points pre-tournament, with the Test captain coming out of ODI retirement to play in this World Cup.

It looked for all the world that he would be batting at No 4, but an injury has kept him out of both games so far.

His good friend and team-mate Joe Root has revealed that he’s on the mend, but that he may not be risked in today’s game.

We will find out in 10 minutes.

So as aforementioend, England got off to the worst possible start to this tournament as they were ahmmered by New Zealand in their opening game.

After posting a measly 282/9, 2019’s runners up chased down the total in 36.2 overs, with Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra smashing unbeaten centuries.

Things went better last time out, however, with Dawid Malan’s 140 setting up the defending champions for a score of 364/9, and Reece Topley then taking 4/43 as Buttler and Co bowled out their opponents for 227.

Today will be the next step in England’s defence.

Gooooood morning one and all and welcome to Mail Sport’s live coverage of England vs Afghanistan in the ODI World Cup.

We’re still early on in the competition but it’s an important game for Jos Buttler’s side following and opening-day defeat to New Zealand, though they did get the better of Bangledesh in their second match.

The defending champions will be favourites going into this one, but it’s never quite as easy as that.

The game will get underway at 9:30, with news from the middle expected at 9.