Buoyant England look to shoot down high-flying Australia

MANCHESTER: The fierce rivals England and Australia were flexing their muscles for the second semifinal to be played on Thursday at Edgbaston.

Thursday’s clash between the hosts and the defending champions promises to be a much more evenly-contested encounter. The formbook might give the Aussies a slight edge but tell that to England captain Joe Root and he will respond by stressing that his team is oozing with confidence going into its first World Cup semi-final since 1992. England might have lost their last two ODI games against Australia including the group game in this tournament but Root underlines the fact that his team defeated their rivals in a series Down Under and also blanked the Aussies 5-0 on home soil.

“If you look at the past 11 games against them we have won nine,” Root commented. “These guys and this group over the last four years, their experience against Australia have been very positive and they have got a lot of success in the bank. “I don’t see that as a big worry for this group, we will be drawing on that confidence that over a long period of time now we have been successful against Australia and we should take that into Thursday.”

England have been on a roll following back-to-back wins against India and New Zealand – two result that catapulted them into the last four. “I feel we are in a good place coming into it, I feel like the last two days have almost been like knockout cricket for us,” he said. “We have been playing in a high-pressure environment for a while now and hopefully that will hold us in good stead going into this game.

“It doesn’t matter (who are the favourites). It comes down to who plays their best cricket on the day. If we play in the manner we have the last two games, we will be a very difficult side to play against. “You can look at form, statistically who is stronger, but it all comes down to who handles the day better, who plays the stronger cricket for the longest period and who will stand up and be victorious at the end of it.”

England have struggled against Australia’s left-arm duo of Mitchell Starc and Jason Behrendorff but Root is confident that his players would be ready for them at Edgbaston.

“They bowled extremely well with the new ball, and those early wickets basically dictated the way game went,” he said. “It is about understanding that will be the main threat early on, that ball swinging and if we can combat that and make a good start then we give ourselves a better chance. “It is something that seems to have been very effective throughout the tournament, that left-arm angle and throughout one day cricket for a while now and they have exploited that nicely. “But we have also seen that we can score quite nicely if they don’t get it right. Trying to be very objective about it, and clear on how you approach it will be very important.

“The guys have faced a lot of left arm stuff over their careers and in build up to last game. There will be a lot talked about it and with that comes pressure for them as well to deliver. It works both ways,” he said.