Defending champions England’s morale is brilliant after winning both Twenty20 World Cup warm-up games against Pakistan and Australia, captain Stuart Broad said on Thursday, the eve of their opening Group A match against Afghanistan. The 2010 winners beat Pakistan by 15 runs and the Australians by nine runs.

Broad was asked how the team would cope in the absence of leading batsman Kevin Pietersen.

“We’ve got world-class match winners in the side. Yes, we have got guys who have played a lot of international cricket... KP has been around for a long time has done fantastically well for us,” Broad said.

“It’s back to the ECB at the moment that he is not here and we have to put up with that and get on with that. The 15 guys in the squad are excited to be here, out for the challenge and that’s what you want coming into a tournament.”