Breaking news: England may not win the World Cup. I realise this may come as a surprise, perhaps even a shock, to those who organise their expectations by the bookies’ odds. But the history of sport is littered with beaten favourites. It’s what makes sport … sport. The question is: what are we going to do about it if it happens?

I know what you’re thinking: English cricket writer peers not very deeply into his native well of self-deprecation and plucks out an argument which insures him against disappointment when England crash out in the semi-final to Australia, with David Warner blowing kisses to the crowd, and Steve Smith quietly sandpapering his bat on the Old Trafford balcony. Well, yes and no.

These are uncharted waters for England’s one-day team, and they can never be taken away from them, no matter whether Bangladesh beat them for a third World Cup in succession.

Actually, scratch that: if Bangladesh win at Cardiff on June 8, you’ll have every right to demand England are immediately sent home in disgrace – or whatever you do to host nations – and to erase the last four years from your memory. There are only so many humiliations a long-suffering supporter can take…

Lawrence Booth is editor of the Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack and a cricket writer for the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday.