Hello and welcome to Sportstar's Live coverage of the second semifinal between England and Australia at Edgbaston, Birmingham. I am Aashin Prasad and I will be providing you with updates for the day.
LIVE UPDATES
Chris Woakes is the man of the match for his three wickets.
We will have a first-time World Champion on Sunday at Lord's. It's between New Zealand and England.
Eoin Morgan slaps Behrendorff over mid-on for a boundary and that's the win for England! Morgan and Root embrace! England is through to the World Cup final for the first time since 1992! It is also the first win over Australia since 1992 and what a crushing win this is! This is only the first time in eight semifinals that Australia has lost.
Eight to win for England. Can it finish it before the end of the 32nd over? Crunched by Root for a boundary and just one hit away from the win.
ENG 210/2 in 30 overs: England is on its way to a 11th successive win in all internationals at Edgbaston.
200 up for England in the 30th over with a four from Morgan. Root then reverse sweeps Lyon behind point for a four.
A maiden from Behrendorff!!!!
Partnership is worth 50 off 50 balls.
ENG 196/2 in 27 overs: After a slow start against Starc and Cummins, Morgan is kicking on. A boundary off Behrendorff in the previous over is followed by successive fours off Lyon.
England is ticking these runs off at a good click.
ENG 171/2 in 25 overs: Starc has completed his eighth over of the innings as Australia try to bounce out Morgan. Morgan has held firm so far and has put away couple of bad balls. This game is as good as over now with just 53 required to knock off.
I was half expecting this chase to be done with inside 30 overs with Roy in the middle. I will now have to contend with a finish inside 35 overs.
Skipper Morgan comes in to the middle. Surely England can't crumble from here on...
ENG 147/2 in 19.4 overs: WICKET! Roy goes for the pull to the leg side and Carey completes the take. Aussies appeal and umpire Dharmasena raises his finger. England has no review left and replay says Roy hasn't hit that... Lucky break for Australia. Roy's blazing knock of 85 comes to an abrupt end.
The party has begun in the stands. 'It's coming home' is ringing around the Baston in chorus now.. Yikes! They have gone and sung it. God save the English side (in the final)
The runs required is less than 90 now...
ENG 136/1 in 18 overs: There is no stopping England's charge into the finals... Starc has been wayward and Root clips him twice wide of Carey for fours before cutting him to the offside for a third four of the over.
WICKET! Starc with a full delivery traps Bairstow on the back foot and breaks the partnership! And Bairstow wastes the only review on that. Poor from Roy to suggest a DRS call for that.
Only rain can save Australia here and it needs to arrive now before the end of 20 overs and stay on for two days. Too much to ask for?
This is the pair's fourth 100-run partnership in the World Cup and the third successive hundred run stand.
ENG 116/0 in 16 overs: And Australia turn to... Steve Smith for some magic... Looks like Roy took offence to Finch's option. He smacks him for three successive sixes ! He deposits the third one out of the ground! WHAT. A. HIT! Roy couldn't believe he hit it that long.
Is this the end of the road for Australia's World Cup? Can it conjure some kind of magic to save its dwindling campaign? England's required rate is 3.68 rpo.
ENG 95/0 in 15 overs: Starc comes back into the attack ad Bairstow bludgeons the ball over mid-off for a four! Single taken and Roy wafts him straight back past him for another four. And another! Crashed through the covers and he brings up his fifty ! The home crowd are enjoying every bit of this.
ENG 76/0 in 13 overs: Bairstow ends up getting a leading edge going for a pull off Lyon but the ball falls safe behind short third man and runs to the boundary.
Bairstow slips while turning for a second. He now seems to be in some trouble. He receives treatment from physio and is ready to go again.
ENG 63/0 in 11 overs: Roy greets Lyon with a six over long-on off the first ball! He then reverse sweeps him behind point region for a four!
ENG 50/0 in 10 overs: Roy and Bairstow bring up their fourth fify-run stand of the World Cup. Australia was 27/3 at the end of the first Powerplay overs. Will these opening 10 overs of the innings make the difference in the semifinal?
ENG 40/0 in 8 overs: Behrendorff replaces Starc at the other end. Bairstow with a crisp drive down the ground.
Pat Cummins replaces Behrendroff.
ENG 31/0 in 6 overs: Flickity flick!!! Starc bowls it on his pads and Roy uses his wrists to just flick this over the fine leg boundary for a six!
ENG 16/0 in 4 overs: Roy gets in to his groove. Whips Starc through the cover and mid-off region for two boundaries from the over.
ENG 6/0 in 3 overs: Maiden from Behrendorff with a couple of play and misses from Bairstow.
Win predictor says 93 per cent in favour of England...
ENG 6/0 in 2 overs: Starc keeps it full but Roy has the length covered.
Nasser Hussain on commentary says Starc was swinging the ball perilously in the warm-ups and lunch interval today.
Starc to bowl the second over... Two slips in place.
ENG 5/0 in 1 over: Roy off the mark with a single after four deliveries. Behrendorff pitches it up to Bairstow first ball and he slashes it through point and cover for a four.
It's over to Roy and Bairstow now with the bat. Behrendorff has the new ball.
ENGLAND INNINGS
We will be back in another 20 minutes for what could turn out to be an exciting chase!
Australia do have the bowling to make this a defendable total.
England has given itself a great chance of making a first World Cup final since 1992 with a top-notch bowling performance. Archer and Woakes with the early three wickets early on gave them the perfect start in the semifinal after having lost the toss. After Smith and Carey fought back with a 100-run stand, Rashid provided the breakthrough with two quick wickets to derail Aussies' fightback. If Australia goes on to win this, Smith's knock of 85 could help him win back a lot of support back home after the repercussions of the sandpapergate.
Bowled 'im!! Wood cleans up Behrendorff's stumps with a yorker! Aussies are all out for 223 , 12 more than what they had made in that tied Edgbaston semifinal against South Africa. Do they have enough on the board against a formidable England batting side?
Jason Behrendorff and Nathan Lyon are the last pair at the crease.
WICKET! Starc falls next ball! He goes for a wild swing and only gets a thin under edge to Buttler. Australia is nine down. Third wicket for Woakes.
WICKET! A moment of brilliance from Jos Buttler behind the stumps! Smith gets one on the pad to the leg side and takes off for a quick single. Buttler races to the ball and throws down the stumps at the non-stiker's end! He falls for 85. Replay shows the ball went through the legs of Smith and onto the stumps.
AUS 217/7 in 47 overs: The Smith-Starc partnership is now up to fifty ! Valuable runs for Australia.
Smith survives a close LBW call . Woakes traps Smith on the back foot and umpire says not-out. England calls for a review and ball tracker shows it's umpire's call.
Woakes is into the attack in the 45th over. Did Morgan make a miscalculation with his bowling combinations? Woakes, one of his best death bowlers, could only be bowling nine overs.
Starc is using his long handle to good effect here. Plunkett bowls it full and Starc hacks it over the vacant long-off boundary for a six! 200 up for the Aussies in the 45th over. Smith hoicks one to the leg side boundary and is into the 80s.
AUS 192/7 in 44 overs: Starc hits a lovely drive off Wood down the ground for a boundary. That's Australia's first boundary after 57 deliveries .
Australia is 175/7 in 40 overs with Smith holding fort at one end. He is into the 70s now.
Archer finishes his 10, too, with two wickets for 32.
Rashid finishes his quota with three wickets for 54. 11 wickets in the tournament for the leggie. Mitchell Starc is in at No. 9.
AUS 166/7 in 38 overs: WICKET! Another one bites the dust.. Rashid gets his second wicket with a googly. The ball comes back in to Cummins and he ends up getting a thick edge on the cut to first slip. Root takes a good grab.
Maxwell's highest score this World Cup is 46 not out.
Pat Cummins is the new batsman. He can bat quite a bit.
AUS 157/6 in 35 overs: WICKET! Archer picks up another wicket in his second spell! Maxwell, who has been troubled by pace this World Cup, is surprised by the bounce on the delivery from Archer. The ball lifts up from a good length, strikes Maxwell's bat on the splice and balloons up to Morgan at covers. Smith looks confounded as he begins to run out of partners.
Maxwell's crunching pull off Rashid brings up Australia's 150 in the 34th over.
Maxwell hits the first six of the match. He skips down the track to Rashid and he launches him over long-on.
AUS 135/5 in 31 overs: Archer is into the attack in the 31st over. There is an airplane hovering over Edgbaston as Maxwell plays and misses.
Glenn Maxwell is in at No. 7.
AUS 118/5 in 28 overs:WICKET! Rashid you beauty!! Two wickets in the over for him. He bowls a wrong one, and Stoinis misses the big spin back on the back foot. Dharmasena takes his time, and raises his finger to give him out. Australia has no review left. It wouldn't have saved him too as ball tracker says it was an umpire's call.
Marcus Stoinis is the new man in.
AUS 117/4 in 27.2 overs: WICKET! Just when he looked good for another big score, Carey steps out and lofts Rashid into the deep mid-wicket fielder. Substitute James Vince takes the catch and Vince departs for 46. Smith brings up his fifty with a single down the ground . Cheers from the Aussie supporters, boos from the English.
AUS 113/3 in 26 overs: Carey sweetly times a slog sweep off Rashid along the ground and is into the 40s. The 100-run partnership is up in just 120 balls .
The Smith-Carey partnership is blossoming into a dangerous territory for the English. The team 100 comes up in the 25th over .
51 runs from the overs 11-20 for the loss of no wicket.
AUS 72/3 in 19 overs: Fifty-run stand comes up between the pair. Smith is looking in terrific touch at the moment with some gorgeous boundaries. He whips Wood behind point and clips another behind square.
Smith drills Plunkett back down the ground and brings up Australia's team fifty in the 16th over .
Drinks: Conditions are much brighter now and there isn't much movement of the pitch. This partnership could prove to be the defining one of the semifinal.
Smith pulls Stokes to the leg side boundary for his first four of the innings after facing 34 deliveries.
Forgot to mention that Carey has a bandaged chin after that blow from Archer early in his innings.
AUS 36/0 in 13 overs: Smith and Carey have come unscathed in the last 41 deliveries. and have put on a 22-run stand. They have looked untroubled since the end of the first Powerplay.
The fiery Mark Wood comes on from the Birmingham end. He has 16 wickets so far.
First bowling change in the form of Ben Stokes in the 12th over. He has one slip in place.
AUS 27/3 in 10 overs: Australia registers its lowest Powerplay score of this World Cup.
AUS 19/3 in 8 overs: Archer smashes Carey on the grill with a snorter! The helmet comes off his head and Carey is quick to hold on to it and not let it fall on to his stumps. He gets a cut on his chin and is bleeding. He is receiving some treatment from the physio.
Australia has never lost a World Cup semifinal in the seven previous instances since 1975. Could today be the first time?
Alex Carey is promoted to No. 5. He is Australia's next best run-scorer this tournament after Warner and Finch.
WICKET! Handscomb plays on! Woakes bowls a fuller delivery outside off and Handscomb gets sucked in for the drive. He ends up getting a huge insdie edge on to the stumps! Aussies are reeling at Edgbaston.
AUS 14/2 in 6 overs: Woakes and Archer have bowled a fuller length today and have been able to trouble the Aussie batsmen with the movement they are getting off the pitch. Something which they didn't do often in the defeat at Lord's despite being provided with overcast conditions.
Warner falls a run short of Rohit Sharma's tally of 648 runs in this World Cup. Will he get another chance on Sunday?
AUS 11/2 in 3 overs: Handscomb gets a beauty first ball! Umpire Eramus turns down the huge appeals. Morgan goes for the review and ball tracker says it's clipping the bails and decision won't be overturned. It's all happening at the Baston!
WICKET! Woakes gets into the act now! He is driven over his head with a full delivery. He follows it up with a short delivery which moves away. The ball takes an outside edge to Bairstow at first slip. He departs for 9 and walks out to boos...
Steve Smith walks out to a ring of boos...
WICKET! What a start from Archer! He traps the in-form Finch in front off his first ball! Umpire Dharmasena takes his time before raising his finger. Finch consults Warner and asks for the review. It was a full delivery hitting pad first, then bat. The ball is going on to crash the middle stumps! Aussies lose their review .
AUS 4/0 in 1 over: On the slot, Warner drives him through the covers for a four off the first ball. It's followed by five dot balls.
Local boy Woakes to start the proceedings against Warner. Finch at the non-striker's end.
AUSTRALIA INNINGS
Both teams stride out for the national anthems. Australia's 'Advance Australia Fair' first, followed by England's 'God save the Queen'.
Peter Handscomb, who was one of the best performers in the ODI side during the time Smith and Warner were suspended, was unlucky to get the axe from the World Cup squad. But an injury to Shaun Marsh paved his way back into the team and he is set to make his World Cup debut today. He will slot in at No. 4 with Smith being elevated to his preferred No. 3 position.
Jofra Archer is fit and firing again after his restrained performance with the ball in that match against Australia in that game.
Both Finch and Warner have three 100-run partnerships in this tournament. And the last time Australia played England in the league stages, the duo put on a 123-run stand at Lord's. They also have six fifty-plus partnerships so far. Prolific.
Eoin Morgan: 'Exact same. The trend has been that way. Not really bothered as before the World Cup we liked to chase. We have gone from strength to strength. We are going with the same team.'
Aaron Finch: 'We are going to have a bat. Don't think it will change too much. Will try to put up a big score. Just one, Peter Handscomb will come in for Usman Khawaja.'
Aaron Finch wins toss, elects to bat first.
Pitch report: 'It's a fresh wicket.. not much grass cover. Kind of pitch you can hit through the line. Both teams will look to bat first,' says VVS Laxman.
Plenty of wishes coming in for the home side. Nat Sciver, Stuart Broad and James Anderson have sent in their tweets. England football team captain Harry Kane will also be cheering them on.
We are just a few minutes from the toss. Toss has proved vital in majority of the matches in this World Cup, including the first semifinal between India and New Zealand.
England seem primed to win their maiden title but it will take a special effort to upstage arch-rivals and record five-time champions Australia in the second World Cup semifinal on Thursday.
England have turned it around following their first-round exit in the 2015 edition and have become a formidable one-day side.
Considering the firepower the hosts possess, many current and former players have said it is England’s World Cup to lose, a trophy they have not been able to lift despite making the final in 1979, 1987 and 1992.
Watch | England faces Australia challenge in second semifinal
And between them and a fourth shot at the title, stand familiar foes Australia who have been so consistent in the mega event that they are yet to lose a semifinal, having won six and one being a dramatic tie against South Africa in the 1999 edition.
Not many would have put their money on Australia as recent as four months ago but Aaron Finch and his team have made a phenomenal comeback that began with a rare series win in India in March.
Though they still cannot be bracketed among the ‘invincible’ Australian teams of the past, trust them to rise to the occasion when the stakes are high.
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Finch coy over Maxwell after struggling Australia star misses net session
Australia captain Aaron Finch insisted Glenn Maxwell’s absence from a net session on the eve of the World Cup semi-final against England didn’t necessarily mean he would miss Thursday’s clash.
Maxwell has struggled to hit peak form during the World Cup and there have been growing rumours he could be dropped for the Edgbaston semifinal.
Maxwell, who has scored just 155 runs in nine innings, did not take part in Australia’s optional training session in Birmingham on Wednesday.
READ: Usman Khawaja ruled out of World Cup with hamstring strain
“It’s a purely optional training session. You’re reading a bit too much into it,” he told reporters on Wednesday.
“Maxi is someone who 50 percent of the time comes down to optional sessions. Most of the bowlers aren’t here, Davey (Warner) isn’t here. We’ll name our side tomorrow at the toss, as usual.”
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Australia's Handscomb in, Stoinis fit for semifinal
Australia's new squad member Peter Handscomb will be thrust into the cauldron of Thursday's World Cup semifinal against England as replacement for Usman Khawaja, coach Justin Langer has said.
Langer also confirmed that all-rounder Marcus Stoinis had passed a fitness test and was ready for Edgbaston while refusing to guarantee the mercurial Glenn Maxwell a place in the team.
With Matthew Wade in reserve after showing good form for Australia A, Maxwell could be dislodged by the former first-choice wicketkeeper.
READ: Australia goes into the semifinal as underdog, says Nathan Lyon
“He's played a lot of international cricket before, he's a real seasoned pro, he's had an unbelievable 12 months or so in domestic cricket,” Langer said of Wade.
“He's had unbelievable few (games) for Australia A. He's confident, he's a had a little baby so he's pretty happy with life at the moment.
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England won’t be scared by World Cup run chase, says Bayliss
England coach Trevor Bayliss has warned Australia that his side won’t crack under pressure if it has to bat second in Thursday’s World Cup semifinal.
Bayliss’s side lost to Australia at Lord’s in the group stage after failing to chase down the holder’s total of 285-7.
England was bowled out for 221 against Australia and also lost to Pakistan and Sri Lanka after batting second. Those defeats raised concerns about the World Cup host’s ability to cope with the stress of run chasing. But Bayliss has no concerns that England will panic if it finds itself in the position of chasing down a score at Edgbaston.
“Over the past four years we have won 14 of the last 17 times we have batted second,” he told BBC Radio 5Live’s Sportsweek programme.
“So batting second doesn’t scare our guys and the wickets are a little better now than they were earlier in the tournament. We are full of confidence and happy to be in the semifinals.”
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Tournament So Far
A shock loss to Sri Lanka preceded England again falling short against Australia but the triumphs over India and New Zealand showed their mettle as they lived up to their billing as pre-tournament favourites.
Australia missed out on top spot after losing to South Africa in their final group game but largely impressed during the group stages, Starc leading the wicket-taking list with 26.
What They Said
England captain Eoin Morgan on the team's return to form: "I think we're probably more confident than we were three games ago. I think we are probably a different team that played four games ago and three games ago. I think the loss against Sri Lanka hurt us. It was an overhang into the Lord's game and then when we came here we managed to produce something similar to the cricket we have been playing over the last four years and that was really encouraging."
Australia skipper Aaron Finch on his country's World Cup record: "I think World Cups are very special, they bring out the best in the best players, so I think that's why Australia have had a very rich history in World Cups. I mean, winning four of the last five, it's been a great achievement."
Facts
- England have won 10 of the last 12 ODIs between the countries, though one of their two defeats in that run came at Lord's earlier in this tournament.
- Starc needs one more wicket to set a record for the most taken at a single World Cup - he sits level with Glenn McGrath's tally of 26 from 2007.
- Steve Smith has only managed to record one half-century in his last 10 ODI innings against England, though that solitary 50 did come at Edgbaston (2017). He has been dismissed five times by Adil Rashid in the 50-over format.
- Australia have been involved in seven previous World Cup semi-finals and have progressed to the final every time.
The match will be streamed Live on Hotstar
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