England pacer Liam Plunkett has stressed that a Bangladesh win cannot be deemed a “shock” anymore ahead of their World Cup 2019 clash at Cardiff.

England have been on the receiving end of two defeats by Bangladesh in back-to-back editions of the World Cup. The last one, in 2015, knocked England out of the tournament.

“We saw Bangladesh beat South Africa, and it wasn’t a shock defeat,” Plunkett said. “I remember when they beat England way back when and it was a shock defeat. But there are no real shock defeats in this competition. They’re a strong squad.”

The 34-year-old, who did not feature in the game against Pakistan, is likely to be recalled to the playing XI, as his style of bowling could be beneficial on the shorter boundaries at Sophia Gardens. Speaking about the 14-run loss to Pakistan, where England conceded 348 runs in a sub-par fielding effort, Plunkett admitted: “Maybe there were a few nerves at Trent Bridge. It is obviously disappointing.

“We were not at our best and we let ourselves down in the field. We have had a couple of days off. Hopefully, we can start again fresh.”

The two teams have been at the centre of high-intensity clashes in recent times: England’s tour to Bangladesh in 2016 was highlighted by several verbal jousts and heated exchanges. Plunkett said that sides like Pakistan, India and Bangladesh, backed by vociferous crowds, like to get under the skin of the opposition.

“Pakistan are pretty good like that – they can get niggly. Similarly, Bangladesh, India, they’re good at doing that, [like] appealing quite a lot. It’s just the way they like to play their cricket.

“But we’ve played in big competitions, guys have played around the world – at the Indian Premier League and Big Bash in front of big crowds – so it shouldn’t be too much.”

This article was brought to you in partnership with Betfair Exchange. Always gamble responsibly