Excellence and resilience over the years led to John Arlott coining a term in Australia’s honour which tilts the World Cup semi-final in their favourMy youngest is three weeks old now, just enough already to know the best and worst of English cricket. She was born right around the time they beat Afghanistan, came home on the day they lost against Sri Lanka, and her first match – the one I watched while she sat on my lap – was that bleak and dispiriting defeat against Australia at Lord’s. “No, no this team are different,” I said when Eoin Morgan flapped a catch to fine leg and his side were 26 for three, “really, they can still win this”. She...
Our World Cup semi-final is more than just a game but we have tasted do-or-die cricket and emerged with wins we neededWeeks like this are what you dream of as a kid growing up. A World Cup semi‑final against Australia, and with it the chance to take our place in the final at Lord’s on Sunday, is why you take up the sport and put in all the hours of hard work.Thursday at Edgbaston is the big one. You can talk about treating it as another game, but as England players we know it is more than that. We accepted this when we put ourselves in a must-win scenario for the last two group games. Related: England’s World Cup batting...
The bemusement of Liam Plunkett and co is understandable – their glory bid should be available to all on free-to-air TVThere has been a buzz around the England camp as well as a sense of puzzlement. They are in the semi-finals; they are playing well, though not flawlessly. Two victories over India and New Zealand, both easier than expected, have boosted confidence and clarified what they believe to be their best team in most conditions. Now they are kicking their heels until their semi-final at Edgbaston comes around on Thursday. It will be a long wait, though Jason Roy and Jofra Archer may welcome an opportunity to rest aching bodies.And the puzzlement? Well, like everyone else, the players have been...
Jason Roy is on form, Jofra Archer indispensable, so India and Australia want group wins to miss World Cup hosts in the semisSuddenly the square pegs are fitting into square holes. England have their semi-final at Edgbaston, where they like playing, and when Eoin Morgan said he was not bothered which side he would be playing against, it felt as if he was telling the truth rather than dutifully spinning. Their opponents will be India or Australia.England are starting to play with confidence and captain Morgan now seems to know his preferred team; it is the one that played in the last two games. Unless conditions dictate otherwise – and this would only happen if there is a very dry,...
Bairstow is arguably England’s finest ever ODI batsman and if you do not agree then ask the question, who has been better?What’s eating Jonny Bairstow? And whatever it is, can we have some more please? Preferably in large doses by the middle of next week.On a lovely soft summer day in Chester-le-Street England’s opening pair were once again the difference. At 10 o’clock Eoin Morgan had won the toss and chosen to bat. From there it took just 18 overs of regal, muscular violence against the hard white ball from Bairstow and Jason Roy to all-but decide this de facto World Cup quarter-final before the scoreboard clock had passed midday. Related: Mark Wood’s lucky touch symbolises England’s change in fortune...