England are at risk of losing a fourth consecutive ODI series as Saqib Mahmood insists visitors need to 'put up a good fight' to stop the bleeding

England face losing a fourth consecutive one-day series on Sunday as they struggle to stop the bleeding since becoming world champions six years ago. Defeat to India, 50-over cricket’s number one-ranked team, up the road from here in Cuttack would leave Jos Buttler’s side 2-0 down with one to play, following twin 2-1 scorelines against West Indies either side of last September’s 3-2 reverse to Australia.

Although this tour is viewed as a new dawn for England under Brendon McCullum, they remain in desperate need of results after the opening match of the ODIs took their overall win-loss to 29-30 stretching back to July 2019. And with the Champions Trophy now less than a fortnight away, the need to seize the initiative when on top - after allowing a blistering beginning against Rohit Sharma’s team to slide in Nagpur - could not be greater.

‘You saw we were on top at the start and had them under the pump but then they came back and restricted us,’ said Saqib Mahmood, the one member of the pace bowling group certain to retain his spot for game two. ‘You've got to remember coming to India and playing against India is probably one of the hardest jobs. We've got a couple more games, if we can put up a good fight, we could potentially walk away with the ODI series win. Things like that don't happen that often in India.

England face losing a fourth consecutive one-day series on Sunday as they take on India. Saqib Mahmood admitted it will be a tough challenge but he feels England could prevail. England’s medical team will continue to monitor Jamie Smith following a calf strain. Salt (wkt), Duckett, Root, Brook, Buttler (capt), Bethell, Livingstone, Rashid, Atkinson, Wood, Mahmood. ‘For me, playing against this opposition and on these wickets will sharpen up my game, so when you go out to Pakistan, you'll be in a good place ready to compete from game one - that's all you want to do in tournament cricket.’.

England’s medical team continue to monitor Jamie Smith following a calf strain that has kept him sidelined for the past 10 days. It is hoped that the 24-year-old Surrey wicketkeeper-batsman will prove his fitness in the final match of this tour in Ahmedabad on Wednesday, but the tourists’ management are toying with inviting Tom Banton to join them as cover. Somerset’s Banton returned home from the ILT20 as the competition’s leading scorer, piling up 493 runs with two hundreds, an average of 55 and a strike rate in excess of 150, but could be asked back to the United Arab Emirates next week for a four-day break between this tour and flying to Lahore for a clash with old enemy Australia on February 22.