England won’t be scared by World Cup run chase, says Bayliss

England's defeats to Australia, Pakistan and Sri Lanka has raised concerns about its ability to cope with the stress of run chasing ahead of the World Cup 2019 semifinal.

England head coach Trevor Bayliss has no concerns that England will panic if it finds itself in the position of chasing down a score at Edgbaston against Australia.

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.”

READ | World Cup 2019: Australia vs England in second semifinal

Asked about losing to Australia earlier in the tournament, Bayliss added: “I think it was more to do with the way we approached the game. We came in off a bad loss to Sri Lanka in the game before where we got completely away from our style of play I guess and I think there was still a bit of a hangover in that next match.

“After that the boys made a commitment to going out -- win, lose or draw -- to play to their strengths and we did that in the next two games and put in a good performance so it is about sticking to our processes and how we play well.”

Whether they bat first or second, semifinal success for England is likely to depend on whether openers Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow can enjoy another impressive partnership. The pair have been key in recent matches, with Roy restored to the team following a hamstring injury.

READ | Top 10 run-scorers of ICC Cricket World Cup 2019

The 28-year-old has developed into a pivotal part of the England limited-overs set-up, but Bayliss admits he is under consideration for a place in the Ashes squad against Australia later this year.

“I think so. Jason has had success at international cricket and that goes a long way to being able to handle the pressure so it is a definite option,” Bayliss said.