England prepare to take on Bangladesh's spinners

Eoin Morgan's entry to the World Cup may have come at exactly the right time for an England side preparing to take on Bangladesh's spinners in Chittagong on Friday.

England can effectively clinch a place in the quarterfinals with a third victory from five Group B matches but needs expertise against the slow bowlers to prevail against a side fighting to stay in the tournament it is co-hosting.

Naeem Islam, Abdur Razzak and Mohammad Ashraful could all pose a threat on a dry wicket at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, while captain Shakib Al Hasan also bowls slow left-arm.

Kevin Pietersen has repeatedly fallen to left-arm spin, but his withdrawal from the competition to have hernia surgery has allowed the selection of a player apparently better suited to the conditions. Morgan is on his fourth trip to Bangladesh and scored a century here a year ago.

"The Bangladeshi spinners are very good quality," England captain Andrew Strauss said on Thursday. "We've faced them and they're as good as any spinners in the world. We've got to be very careful and respectful in how we approach them.

"The crowd is going to be 100 percent behind Bangladesh and it's going to be a hostile atmosphere for us."

Strauss said that previous experience suggested that the wicket offered "something for everyone," but the dry heat and lack of moisture noticeable at some of the other tournament venues could turn Friday's game into a battle of the slow bowlers.

"It is very dry and it looks very flat," Strauss said. "It may be a little low for the seamers and it may turn a bit."

England could also take the option of adding a third slow bowler to the lineup to fill the gap vacated by paceman Stuart Broad - who is out of the tournament because of a side strain.

James Tredwell, who has played two of his three one-day internationals to date against Bangladesh, could come in for a first tournament appearance to play alongside Graeme Swann and Michael Yardy. He has yet to take an ODI wicket, but did manage 1-36 against Canada in a tournament warm-up and his most economical appearance was in Dhaka last year.

"You have to make a judgement about how much this wicket is going to turn and how much is going to be in it for the seamers," Strauss said.

The other option would appear to be the straightforward switch for Ajmal Shahzad, who played when Broad missed the last-ball tie against India in the teams' second match. Chris Tremlett could also fill a pace bowling spot if required after the International Cricket Council approved his call to replace Broad in the squad.

The other selection issue in the wake of Pietersen's withdrawal is who to play alongside Strauss at opener.

Ravi Bopara, who was man-of-the-match against South Africa, could simply move up to make way for Morgan at his favored No. 5 position, while Ian Bell and Matt Prior are the other options.

"I have decided on the opening batsman and won't be saying anything before the start," Strauss said. "We've got it very clear in our minds at this stage who the best opening batsman here would be.

"I wouldn't say we're nailed on to play with the same opening partnership all the way through but for the time being we've got a fair idea what the right combination would be for this pitch."

England's batsmen were in form throughout the tournament until they came up against the cracked and crumbling Chennai wicket against South Africa, and Bangladesh's Shakib is wary that the top order could be even stronger for this match.

"Eoin Morgan is a very good player who played well against us," Shakib said. "We have to be careful about him."