Birmingham: Hosts England face defending champions Australia in the second World Cup semi-final in Birmingham on Thursday.
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Eoin Morgan’s England came back strongly to finish the group stage with six wins from nine matches, while Australia were the first team to book their final-four spot.
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A look at three key battles in the knockout match at Edgbaston:
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Morgan v Finch – Mind games
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Eoin Morgan has been at the helm of England’s revival as a one-day international side, leading them to the top of the rankings and to their first World Cup semi-final for 27 years.
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The 32-year-old batsman assured home fans and pundits that England would not buckle under pressure after wobbling in the league stage.
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Morgan stayed true to his word, masterminding victories over India and New Zealand and is now two wins away from making history.
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Aaron Finch has let his bat do the talking, taking Australia to their sixth semi-final in seven tournaments.
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The opener amassed 507 runs, with two hundreds and three fifties, as the five-time champions won seven of their nine league games to finish second in the 10-team group table.
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But, with the pressure ratcheted up a notch, can the skipper inspire his side to another win against England after a comprehensive victory against the host nation in the group phase?
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Bairstow v Warner – Opening fireworks
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England’s Jonny Bairstow was the key man in England’s revival at the end of the group phase, hitting two dominant centuries to haul the hosts into the semi-finals.
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The opener hit 111 in the match against India and then smashed another century against New Zealand. Reunited with opening partner Jason Roy, Bairstow threatens to be a thorn in Australia’s side at Edgbaston.
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Left-handed David Warner was Bairstow’s teammate for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the 2019 Indian Premier League and the pair were prolific.
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Since then, Warner has returned to international cricket in triumph following a ball-tampering incident that saw him banned for 12 months.
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He has hit three hundreds and three fifties at the World Cup to stack up 638 runs in nine matches, leading Australia’s charge.
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England know the danger Warner poses. Unless they get him out cheaply, he could take the game away from them.
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Starc v Archer – Need for speed
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Mitchell Starc has been a lethal weapon for Australia at the World Cup, claiming 26 wickets with a strike rate of 19.2.
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The left-armer’s ability to strike early and stem the flow of runs will be crucial against an English top-order that has returned to top form.
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Jofra Archer, 24, has combined with senior paceman Chris Woakes to give the home side a lethal new-ball pair that Australia will be wary of.
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Archer remains the go-to man in England’s search for an early wicket – the Barbados-born paceman has claimed 17 wickets in nine matches.
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His ability to bowl at genuine pace gives Morgan’s team a cutting edge with which to attack Australia’s key men at the top of the order – Warner, Finch and Steve Smith.