Liam Livingstone will form crucial piece of the puzzle for England in defence of ODI World Cup title

England intend to field three spinners at this year’s World Cup and have therefore identified Liam Livingstone as a key man in their title defence.

Given the similarity in conditions here to neighbouring India, where the tournament is held this October, this tour has been used as a tactical recce and, after inflicting a first home one-day series defeat on Bangladesh in more than six years, England head coach Matthew Mott believes they will have to adapt their usual team shape of four seamers and two spinners.

Across the 2-1 victory, England’s spinners provided 50% of the overs sent down and accounted for 13 of the 28 wickets taken by bowlers, highlighting the value of possessing top six batters able to bowl 10 overs if required. Joe Root is viewed as more of a part-time option, having sent down a full allocation just twice in his 158-game ODI career.

So, this is where Livingstone, currently recovering from a knee injury sustained on his Test debut in December, comes in. Although younger versions Will Jacks and Rehan Ahmed performed admirably as back-ups to established pair Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali here, he has big-game experience, not to mention the versatility of bowling off-spin or leg-spin on tap.

‘In most conditions over there, you’d like three spin options and a little bit of variety in that as well,’ said Mott.

Liam Livingstone is currently recovering from injury, but his recovery will be vital to coach Matthew Mott’s plan for his ODI side

Both Rehan Ahmed (left) and Will Jacks have been keen to make their case for inclusion in Mott’s squad as England prepare to defend their ODI title

Adding, of Twenty20 World Cup winner Livingstone: ‘I don’t see too many other players like him, to be honest. His ability, if you have a left and right hander in, to bowl off spin to lefties and leg-spin to right-handers, and both are good quality. He is not exposed at all. He’s a gun.

‘The way he can bat in white-ball cricket, too, knowing we can throw him in at any opportunity, and he is not just a slogger, he’s a proper batter who can take an attack apart, whether spin or pace. He’s a very unique player.’

Before the recent tour of South Africa, it looked like a shoot-out between Jason Roy and Dawid Malan for the right to partner Jonny Bairstow at the top of England’s first-choice World Cup XI but performances since have altered thinking.

Both men contributed match-defining hundreds in the Dhaka wins last week, highlighting the benefits of playing yourself in for longer on slow pitches, and potentially influencing team selection come October. Evidence might suggest that Malan and Root are the optimum subcontinental combination at three and four, a double buffer before the big-hitting beasts that follow.

‘Absolutely, I think they definitely can play on the same team. Joe is one of the all-time greats. And I think Dawid Malan’s record over the last 18 months is incredible in white ball and T20. He’s played 18 innings and scored four hundreds in the ODI format,’ said Mott.

Selection is still five months away but with no further ODIs scheduled, Mott, captain Jos Buttler and Rob Key, the managing director of men’s cricket, all have ideas of their preferred 15 names.

Mott (pictured left) will begin his team selection with no more matches to play before the World Cup in October

It remains to be seen whether Ben Stokes will make himself available for World Cup selection

As they have discovered over the four-year cycle since becoming 50-over world champions, though – during which they have won 15 and lost 15 against fellow Test nations – availability issues can wreck the best-made plans.

And a lot will hinge on whether Ben Stokes opts to reverse his ODI retirement decision. As Sportsmail previously revealed, the man who has done so much to steer England to double world champion status has been given until after this summer’s Ashes to make up his mind.

‘Obviously, we’re talking about team balance, if you’ve got a person who can bowl in any over in the game, and make big hundreds as well, every team will cry out for that,’ Mott said.

‘But I think the worst thing we could do is try to put pressure on him early to make a decision, we’ll just see how his body’s holding up and how he’s feeling physically and mentally.’

Meanwhile, Jofra Archer, another of the 2019 heroes, returned combined figures of 18.5-1-72-5 as he continues to build up fitness. The schedule devised for the fast bowler by the ECB’s medical team limited him to two of the three matches but Mott said a bowler who’d admit ‘he’s not fully firing on all cylinders,’ is on course to be ‘back to his best’ for the Ashes as a result of the careful management.