England will not patronise Afghanistan as Eoin Morgan's side look to avoid shock defeat to keep World T20 hopes alive

Ever since Graham Gooch missed a Test during the 1992-93 tour of India because of a questionable prawn curry, English cricketers in this part of the world have linked upsets to the stomach. It is a perception Afghanistan are determined to change.

If they can shock England at the Feroz Shah Kotla on Wednesday, then the euphoria generated by the victory over South Africa in Mumbai on Friday will have disappeared in a puff of the local dust. Lose, and England will need a mathematical miracle to reach the World Twenty20 semi-finals.

Cold logic says it really ought not to happen. Among the 10 Test-playing nations, Zimbabwe remain the only team Afghanistan have beaten at this level.

The England players trained at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium on Tuesday ahead of Wednesday's match

England have to avoid a shock defeat to remain in with a realistic chance of progressing to the semi-finals

Yet such was the panache with which they set about trying to chase down 210 against South Africa on Sunday – they reached 105 for two in the 11th over before going down to a 37-run defeat – that England are not about to make the mistake of patronising them.

Even so, this is not unfamiliar territory. Two years ago at the World Twenty20 in Bangladesh, England were humiliated by Holland, a result that cost Ashley Giles his chance of becoming full-time coach.

And though they had already been knocked out – Eoin Morgan admitted he was, in his mind, ‘already at home sitting on the couch’ – the result was no aberration. Five years earlier, the Dutch had beaten England at Lord’s. Going into this game, only one team has nothing to lose.

Morgan, who learned a thing or two about being the underdog during his time with Ireland, reached for an unusual metaphor as he tried to explain the dynamic.

England have momentum after their thrilling two-wicket victory against South Africa last Friday

Joe Root inspired victory over the Proteas after hitting 83 runs off just 44 balls on Friday

England will not take lightly a side that showed enough against South Africa to suggest they will be no walkover

‘It’s a bit like a pump-action shotgun,’ said the England captain. ‘You can keep loading as long as you like, and if you keep missing, it’s fine. But the opportunity along the way will come. And if you have your day, you might win a game.’

It is easy to dismiss the Afghans as a bunch of unorthodox enthusiasts, some of whom learned their cricket in the refugee camps of Pakistan. Yet their rise up the world ranks has been a joy to behold in a sport beset by power games and administrative incompetence.

And they have no intention of being remembered as popular losers. ‘Definitely there will be big pressure on England, and we are eager to win at least one of the next two games,’ said their captain Asghar Stanikzai. ‘We are here to beat a Full Member and looking forward not just to participate in this tournament.’

Both teams will need to readjust from Mumbai’s batting paradise to what is expected to be a slower, lower surface here in Delhi, though Morgan admitted the pitch had more grass on it than England were expecting.

England captain Eoin Morgan is wary that Afghanistan's 'pump-action shotgun' approach could pay off

England train in the Delhi heat as they prepare for Wednesday's match with Afghanistan

That could still be shorn off before the start, thus increasing the chances of an international debut for Hampshire’s slow left-armer Liam Dawson, who has made a favourable impression on his first senior tour.

If Dawson does play, it could be at the expense of his new county colleague, left-arm seamer Reece Topley, whose 4.1 overs in this tournament have gone for 55, making him England’s most expensive bowler.

Opener Alex Hales, meanwhile, will face a late fitness test on his back after sitting out Tuesday’s net session; James Vince is on standby to replace him.

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Whatever combination is chosen, the free-flowing strokeplay on view at Mumbai’s Wankhede – where Chris Gayle battered England for a 47-ball hundred, before Joe Root hit 83 off 44 to help chase down 230 against South Africa – may have to yield to clever footwork and brain will be required as well as brawn.

It is not the kind of cricket England are entirely comfortable with, though they won six limited-overs games in a row against Pakistan in the UAE at the end of last year, and these days possess more ways of scoring on Asian pitches than the stereotyped slog-sweep of old.

Afghanistan captain Asghar Stanikzai works on his fielding during a nets session on Tuesday

The Afghans are desperate to record a win in one of their next two games at the World T20

They also know that the early wicket of Mohammad Shahzad, who gave the South Africans a scare, will severely limit Afghanistan’s chances. Portly and pugnacious, he regards the kind of fearless cricket that England have only recently learned how to play as something like his birthright.

The one question England refuse to address is net run-rate, which is shaping up as the Indian elephant in the room. They could beat Afghanistan and Sri Lanka on Saturday and still miss out on the last four if other results go against them. It is a scenario Morgan is having none of.

He said: ‘I think focusing on anything else at the moment, given that there are two group games left, would be a little bit naïve – actually stupid. Getting a win under our belt is key.’

Afghanistan, though, do not appear to be in the mood to oblige.