Bangladesh v India: Cricket World Cup 2019 – live!

3rd over: India 14-0 (Rahul 4, Rohit 9) Mustafizur replaces Mashrafe and concedes three singles. Already, Bangladesh need a wicket, because getting stuck into the middle order early is the only way they win this, save a ludcirous intervention by one of their batsmen.

“With everyone talking up Shakib,” says Matt Potter, “has it gone under the radar how brilliant a tournament Mushfiqur Rahim is having? Comfortably the highest run scoring keeper in the tournament and very few errors behind the stumps.”

Agreed, he’s been excellent. There’s just something almost mystical about what Shakib’s doing – he’s got that ability to see in simplicity that only the best have.

2nd over: India 11-0 (Rahul 2, Rohit 8) Mohammad Saifuddin opens from the other end and is immediately into stride, bowling mainly full of and on a length. Rahul digs out his final ball for a single to square leg, the only run off the over.

1st over: India 10-0 (Rahul 1, Rohit 8) India avoid the ignominy of an opening-over maiden, Rahul easing Mashrafe for one to backward point. A wide follows, then a dot and a short one; Rohit deadbats it back to the bowler. Nah, not really. As if! He spanks it for six over deep backward square, then turns two to midwicket, and that’s a useful start. Also: is Rohit the coolest man in this competition? Virat is also a contender, but only if you define “cool” as “everything every human should be but can’t be”, rather than “calm, composed and with a mortifying yet inspiring presence”.

“What’s your take on a deliciously contrived result tomorrow?” asks Brian Withington. “A narrow win for England would almost certainly take NZ through on Net Run Rate. Adam Collins was intrigued by the prospect of cricket’s own version of the 1982 ‘Disgrace of Gijón’, when Austria and West Germany role-played out a 1-0 win for the latter that caused a furore that changed the playing format of all future World Cups. We won’t even mention Somerset’s declaration vs Worcester in the 1979 B&H after just one over as that wouldn’t help the NRR any more (and got Somerset retrospectively banned).”

There’s a game on tomorrow? I’ve no idea what you’re talking about, but were there to be one, we could be sure that both sides would go at it like meshuggeners.

The India anthem is a lowkey banger, and what I love about Bangladesh’s is that, like Stevie on Sesame Street, it shows no mercy. It’s got stuff it wants to say, and it’s saying it, properly and well.

There’s already a fairly decent racket in the ground, but it won’t feel like a proper atmosphere until there’s a band and people cheering their own taxed-from-football songs.

Do we need an England World Cup song, and who would sing it? An Alex and Dave duet?

It’s taken 12 minutes, but finally they’re showing us highlights of England-India. But I still see that sweep from Fat Gatt, Wasim castling Lamb, and Imran dancing…

Sky have some VT for Shakib, who says he’s not sure why it’s all going so well for him. He’s got himself fitter, but isn’t the only person working hard, which is to say asking someone good at something how they’re good at something is like nailing gold dust to the sea.

Two changes apiece: for India, Bhuvi replaces Yadav – Virat references that short boundary one more – and Karthik replaces Jadhav.

For Bangladesh, Mahmudullah doesn’t make it, and is replaced by Sabbir Rahman, and Rubel Hossain also plays, replacing Mehidy Hasan.

It’s a used wicket and got slower and slower on Sunday, plus it’s good to put runs on the board, apparently.

Accuse me of recency bias if you like, but I don’t think there’s ever been a competition quite like this one in one key aspect: we’ve not a clue who’s going to win it. Usually, we think we know even if we don’t, but if the last four turns out to be Australia, New Zealand, India and Pakistan, I’d feel confident laying New Zealand but wouldn’t have a clue about the rest.

I’m beginning to doubt that a box-room in north London is, in fact, the best place to spend today.

Neither side is likely to alter much following their last match. India have the option of restoring Bhuvneshwar Kumar to their XI and I fancy they might, to shore up the batting as much as anything. He’d replace either Mohammed Shami, who bowled really well against England except when he didn’t or, given the flat track and asymmetric boundaries, either Kuldeep Yadav or Yuzvendra Chahal. My guess is that Chahal gets the chop.

As for Bangladesh, Mahmudullah, who hurt his calf against Afghanistan, is good to go.

The phrase “bad World Cup” is an oxymoron up there with “cool beard”, “orderly Brexit” and “young love”, but for a while, when it was raining and predictable, we were on the cusp. Now, though, as we complete the penultimate round of matches, we stand on the cusp of a jazzer for the ages. There is still only one side guaranteed a semi-final slot, with five others ruckusing for the remaining three – including both of those charged with enriching our Tuesday.

India are almost there – a win today or a win over Sri Lanka on Saturday is all they need. But suddenly, that “all” isn’t uttered quite as glibly as before. Their three champions – Rohit, Virat and Jasprit – should do enough, but aggravation against Afghanistan and defeat to England made clear that if they don’t, the others can’t be relied upon to intervene.

Bangladesh, meanwhile, need a bit of help: a win today and a win over Pakistan on Friday will only be sufficient if New Zealand beat England tomorrow – or if they win big and New Zealand lose big. The former is far more likely than the latter. Bangladesh have loads of runs in them, enough variety with the ball to cause problems on a track that will slow, and in Shakib Al Hasan, a force of nature and one of the players of the tournament. If he can transmogrify the toss to ensure that his team bats first, India will start to wonder.

But, in the end, however fun the round-robin has been, knockout brilliance is required to permanently enshrine England ’19 in the annals of humanity – those of us with a host-nation bias will hope that Shane Meadows doesn’t wind up making the series – and, more or less, that epoch begins today. It could be very, very special.

Play: 10.30am BST