Date & Timings: 11 July, 3 PM
Venue: Edgbaston, Birmingham
The second semi-final of the ICC World Cup 2019 will see hosts England and defending champions Australia take on one another at the Edgbaston ground in Birmingham. England has made it into the semi-finals for the first time since 1992, while Australia is looking for their sixth title.
England team has been on a roll despite losses to Pakistan, Australia, and Sri Lanka. They have stuck to what they know the best and have managed to find wins from somewhere and will get to play on a ground, where they handed India their only loss in the league stages. Toss is expected to play a big role in the match, as even Australia lost to South Africa while chasing on the same ground.
No changes are to be expected in the England team, given that the ground is not conducive for two spinners given the short boundary. England will require their bowlers to come good against a strong Australian batting lineup in this crunch situation in which they find themselves after a long time.
Australia, on the other hand, has been amazing in the tournament, but cracks have shown in their armor as well. India and South Africa have shown that they are not invincible as thought previously and if put under pressure, they crack. Aaron Finch’s side has been very good in matches they have batted first, but when chasing against good bowling attacks, have found the going difficult.
With Usman Khawaja out of the tournament, Peter Handscomb is expected to take his place in the playing eleven. Steve Smith, David Warner, and Aaron Finch remain the batting lynchpins of the Men in Yellow brigade and their game attains a new level while facing traditional rivals England. The last time these two teams met in the knockout stages of the World Cup was in 1987 when they faced each other in the finals of the tournament.
The match is expected to be a crunch one given that Australia had defeated them in the league stages and both the teams are looking to get a chance to lift that trophy on July 14.
England Predicted Playing XI:
Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan (C), Jos Buttler (WK), Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes, Liam Plunkett, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood
Australia Predicted Playing XI:
Aaron Finch (C), David Warner, Steve Smith, Peter Handscomb, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Alex Carey (WK), Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Jason Behrendorff, Nathan Lyon
