It does not take much bending of the imagination to picture a situation where Dawid Malan is not playing at this World Cup.

The opening partnership of Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow, which led England to victory four years ago, may have taken Malan off the field if Roy’s back hadn’t let him down.

Despite scoring two one-day international hundreds this season – three by the end of the home series against New Zealand last month – Malan may have been overlooked.

Instead, he stood up for England when it needed him most.

England’s nine-wicket defeat by New Zealand last week was not definitive given the length of the group stage, but it worried England fans who feared a World Cup defence could be in danger.

England’s unfussy, unglamorous run machine captured a commanding 137-run victory against Bangladesh with 140 runs to spare.

The chest-pumping aggression of Roy or Bairstow, the once-in-a-generation elegance of Joe Root, or the destructive power of Jos Buttler are not characteristics that Malan possesses.

In their opinion, Malan is the calmest member of the team.

The pair shared a second-wicket stand of 151 in less than 20 overs as Root batted superbly for 82.

He became England’s leading run-scorer in the World Cup with his second fifty in as many games.

He just never stops doing it, does he?” Malan asked.

‘He’s just so consistent. He’s got a great method for doing things,’ she said.

Even today, he came and changed the gears at certain points.

During a short period of time where I was not hitting the ball well, he took the initiative and changed the momentum of the game as well.”