World Cup: England know 10 of their 11 players for opener with Australia, says Michael Atherton

Ravi Bopara will be the only England player sweating on his place ahead of the World Cup opener against Australia, reckons Michael Atherton.

Bopara's lean spell with the bat continued in England's final warm-up versus Pakistan, with the Essex man scoring 11 from 25 deliveries before he was bowled by spinner Yasir Shah.

Gary Ballance, drafted into the side for the rested James Taylor at No 3, made the most of his opportunity, notching four boundaries in a score of 57.

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But Atherton thinks Bopara’s ability with the ball will keep him in for Saturday's match in Melbourne and push Ballance out.

"I think England pretty much know what they are going to do - with probably the position of Bopara the only decision they have to make," Atherton told Sky Sports News HQ.

"If they wanted to leave Bopara out, they could slip Ballance in at three and move Taylor into the middle order, but it would make them slightly weaker on the bowling front and I think in the end they will go with Bopara."

England captain Eoin Morgan is struggling for batting form, too, with the 28-year-old's duck against Pakistan his third in his last four innings since plundering a hundred against Australia.

However, Atherton says there is no need for the left-hander to panic, while he also feels that England should not be duly worried by their four-wicket defeat to Pakistan, heading into their clash with the Baggy Greens this weekend.

Unflustered

"Morgan had that one outstanding innings against Australia but apart from that is virtually batting in binary," Atherton added of the England skipper, who has scored seven ODI hundreds, three of them against Australia.

"You never quite know [how Morgan is feeling] as he is a calm and unflustered character and there is no crisis at all with his leadership, but he is in the middle of a bit of a trot and will be desperate to get runs and a bit of consistency.

You want your players to be pushed in preparation for a massive World Cup game and England were pushed by Pakistan.

"The Pakistan game was better for England than the totally uncompetitive one against West Indies - you want your players to be pushed in preparation for a massive World Cup game and England were pushed by Pakistan.

"And with everybody fit and given where they were before Christmas, England are in as good a shape as they could have been."

Watch each and every game of the ICC Cricket World Cup on our dedicated channel, Sky Sports World Cup, starting with New Zealand against Sri Lanka from 10pm on Friday 13 February.

Before then, don't miss our World Cup Preview Show, with Nasser Hussain and Michael Vaughan, from 8pm on Friday on the same channel.