With every respect to Afghanistan, England should be able to cover their injury issues without too much difficulty at Old Trafford today.

The absence of Jason Roy to a hamstring injury, plus Eoin Morgan’s back issue, are obvious concerns. But in this encounter at least England’s pace attack should leave those problems down the agenda.

Afghanistan won’t have encountered serious pace like ours too often. Their batsmen have been struggling for runs in this World Cup. They are not full of confidence. England’s job is to respect them, and nail their basics well. That is what this team has done so consistently over the last couple of years and it ought to stand them in good stead.

You will always miss a world-class player like Roy, who is bang in form. But James Vince, his likely replacement, is capable of the same bottom line. On his day, on a high-quality, batting-friendly pitch, he can flourish against that new ball.

He will be ready. It is a great opportunity for him to come to the party.

I would expect a good pitch in Manchester. One thing England will be keen to avoid will be the effects of a used surface that could turn a bit. A good, quick, bouncy wicket is the order of the day, surely.

England were on top of the West Indies last time out and their clinical performance augurs well. It was almost our perfect game. There was a good, aggressive start, West Indies didn’t get away, early wickets were taken and Chris Gayle was gone before the 13-over mark.

That left the opposition having to rebuild. They were unable to hurt the hosts. That was testament to how we set about things.

Jofra Archer, it’s clear, is now finding good rhythm and looks a high-class customer. People are now realising how good he is, how quick he is and how few clues he gives you as a batter as to what is coming.

Mark Wood was on his game and Chris Woakes producing two maidens up front was absolutely brilliant. It is a good unit, and the fact Ben Stokes only needed to bowl four overs told you how potent they had been.

In terms of England’s batting, I said recently that this could be Joe Root’s World Cup and he has certainly delivered so far. His hundred against West Indies was outstanding and it just seems made for him to be the glue that sticks us together.

Once you get past five or six overs with the white ball, it skids on nicely, and Root likes pace on the ball. What I love about him is that he hasn’t tried to change his game. He plays his way, finds angles, doesn’t play with his ego, doesn’t try and overhit the ball, knows his role and sticks to it.

We are a better side for it and it is among the reasons why England are at the forefront of the contenders for this tournament.

India, so far, are the only side that look as good. Their batsmen still appear as though they are in second gear. I feel Virat Kohli has another level to reach, with Rohit Sharma having been the difference so far.

It is having guys who can hit 140 off 113 balls, as Sharma did against Pakistan, that wins matches in this environment. The x-factor.

England, India and New Zealand have the most players who can do that consistently. That’s why it is very hard to look past those three for the semi-final places, along with Australia, whose pace attack is well capable of causing further problems in this World Cup.

Sri Lanka haven’t looked dangerous. West Indies are too inconsistent. South Africa have been a surprise in how poorly they have performed. They just haven’t clicked.

Then there is Pakistan. At Leicestershire we played them at the start of their campaign over here. It had been drizzly, and the seam had got wet – and their attack looked phenomenal.

We also saw the damage they can do when beating England recently. But they haven’t found that consistency, and when you see the ability they have, it must be so frustrating for their coach, Mickey Arthur, and their supporters.

England’s opponents today, meanwhile, are the minnows of the tournament but Afghanistan’s meteoric rise into international cricket is incredible.

All-rounder Mohammad Nabi, who we had at Leicestershire last year, is a remarkable individual. His life could be a film. From a refugee camp to playing international cricket, the first Afghanistani in the IPL, the Big Bash, the T20 Blast...

The guy is also a phenomenal cricketer and has some of the best stats in the world.

At this stage in their development, Afghanistan haven’t had the depth of cricket, the time with high-class coaches or the academies to bring on their kids, to make them fitter, faster and more robust. Yes, they play a lot of cricket as kids, but not on good surfaces consistently, either.

Give them time, though, and they will be a serious force to be reckoned with. They can still make their mark now, but to make real strides will require patience, and the right improvements continually put in place.

It took Bangladesh time to develop in the highest arena but they are now capable of tripping up any side. That is a good example and, down the line, we could be saying the same about Afghanistan – and maybe more.