Eoin Morgan says pitch will dictate use of third spinner with Liam Dawson possible for debut

Eoin Morgan says England will leave their decision over playing a third spinner against Afghanistan until the last minute.

England will almost certainly include leg-spinner Adil Rashid and all-rounder Moeen Ali in their side at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium, and pitch conditions will decide whether Liam Dawson earns his first senior international cap at the World Twenty20.

Morgan and head coach Trevor Bayliss are also waiting on news of opener Alex Hales, who is struggling with a back injury, with James Vince in line to replace the Nottinghamshire player if he fails a fitness test on the day of the game.

Victory over Afghanistan in Delhi would improve England's chances of qualifying for the semi-finals from Group 1, with Morgan's men having left Mumbai on a high after chasing down 230 to beat South Africa in their second match.

But England's seam bowling attack struggled badly as they allowed the Proteas to pile up 229-4, and they had to be rescued by a superb batting performance, most notably from Joe Root.

Reece Topley conceded 33 runs in two overs and Chris Jordan went for 49 in three, while Moeen and Rashid were far less expensive and took three of England's four wickets.

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"I've looked at the pitch and it seems to be a drier pitch - there is a lot of grass on it, even at the moment, and to be honest I don't know what it is going to do," Morgan said.

"I think we'll have to leave it as late as possible to select the side and see what conditions are going to be like.

"If it's going to be another hot day like today they might leave the grass on it, as opposed to taking it off. It will be up to the groundsman as to how it pans out."

Morgan said Root could be an option to fill the third spin position, but he admitted there was a decent chance left-armer Dawson would play if conditions dictated a noticeable preference for slow bowling.

Root bowled one over in the win over South Africa and went for 13 runs.

He added: "Rooty can be a viable option for a third spinner but Liam Dawson adds a lot more with the ball than Joe would so he could come into consideration if the grass does come off the pitch."

And Morgan says the Hampshire bowler is keen for the chance to make a belated international debut at the age of 26 after playing regularly for the Lions.

"He has trained really hard since he has come into the side since South Africa and he has been great around the group. He has bowled really well in training and has been upbeat, so like anybody he is really keen to get involved," Morgan said.

Afghanistan captain Asghar Stanikzai is happy that his side are going into the game as the underdogs.

"England will be under pressure because they are the bigger team," said Stanikzai.

"We're similarly under pressure when we are playing Hong Kong or the UAE. We are a competitive side and people are now planning for our team."

Stanikzai said Afghanistan are still targeting a win in the tournament after losing to Sri Lanka by six wickets and to South Africa by 37 runs.

"We are playing well and have made the Super 10s for the first time but our aim is to beat one big team in the tournament," added Stanikzai, who smashed a 47-ball 62 in the defeat to Sri Lanka in Kolkata.