The cricketing rivals for centuries will resume their rivalry today at Edgbaston. England and Australia will battle it out for a berth in the final in the second semifinal of this World Cup. The winner would face New Zealand in the final. England vs Australia is the oldest and one of the most enduring rivalries ever. Though their test rivalry is considered legendary, this One day contest promises to match up to the intensity offered by its test counterpart as the setting is huge. The fans and the players would be fired up as the two cricketing giants collide in what promises to be a thrilling semifinal.
England – Four Years in the making
For England, it’s been four years of hard work. They were mocked and ridiculed after an early exit in the past two world cups.
These exits promoted a complete approach to ODIs and the team has really worked hard these four years to its present position. Past English sides were just placing Test successes as ultimate glory and were disregarding about ODIs. The English side under Eoin Morgan changed this perspective and incorporated a completely different mindset to the game. They realized the attack is the best form of defense and have been playing some brute force cricket. The result was that they leapfrogged to the top position in the ODI ranking securing several ODI series victories both home and away.
This World Cup has been a wonderful ride for England. Despite enduring a hiccup with few group defeats, they were back in the contention thrashing India and New Zealand in their last group games. Johnny Bairstow and Jason Roy were perfect at the top engineering their side to great totals when batting first. Joe Root at No 3 is rock solid. With the likes of Eoin Morgan, Jos Butler, and Ben Stokes, their middle order has been powerful rescuing the team when in crisis. Their bowling too clicked when it matters as Chris Woakes and Jofra Archer are among the leading wicket-takers this series.
Australia – Big Match Players
Australia can never be written off in a tournament like this. Having won the cup a record 5 times, they know what it takes to become a champion and their convincing victories in the league stages just prove it. As the saying goes, Aussies are beasts when it comes to the World Cup have come true once again. They have never lost a semifinal in these last seven world cups with the exception of 2011.
It’s hard to tame the beast when it’s on a song. David Warner and Aaron Finch have amazing with the bat delivering centuries after centuries in the process taking their teams to victories. Mitchell Starc has been a revelation this tournament. With 26 wickets already, a wicket in this match should see him break Glenn McGrath’s record of 26 wickets. He is ably supported with Jason Behrendorff, who is supporting him with useful wickets here and there. They were just a whisker away from claiming the top spot as they lost the final game against SAF by just 10 runs.
Australia looks a better-balanced side with resources firing in all departments and they are known to rise their game to unimaginable levels during games like these. They have a psychological edge over England thrashing them by 64 runs during their group stage encounter. Also, they have a better head-to-head record over England in ODIs.
Can England overcome its fears and prevail over Australia? Would their hard work for four years pay off? Or Will it be the Aussies one more time?
World Cup Contests
Pick your choice between the two and participate in our Howzat Rummy Tournament and World Cup Leaderboard race! You have a chance to win amazing prizes like Royal Enfield Bike, Hyundai Venue and expensive gadgets like iPhones. World Cup Promotions are something that our players have been waiting for long and it’s happy to find that a lot of players are participating in it with much interest and vigor!
Howzat and World Cup Leaderboard have already created quite a buzz in the Indian rummy circle and is well on its way to be a grand success with a record turnout each day. Do step in to try your hand and walk away with huge prizes! This is an exciting opportunity that you shouldn’t miss out on! The clock is ticking! With just a game away for the contest to conclude, the stakes are running really high! See you at our tables!
