After suffering a
shock defeat against Sri Lanka, pre-tournament favourites and top-ranked England face a distinct
possibility of not even making the last four. What they do against the defending champions will have a big say in proving that aforementioned statement right or wrong, or otherwise.
For the Aussies, the habitual winners, this will serve as a marker for the upcoming Ashes series, which majority of English fans think is bigger than the ICC World Cup. Again, forget the obvious comparisons, historical accentuation, et al.
Four wins from six games! And England have suddenly lost the favourites tag. In contrast, Australia, with five wins from six, have as expected emerged as the obvious favourites. It's so simple. They know how to win, and when to play which brand of cricket against whom and where.
As things stand, England are in a very tight spot. They are fourth and a defeat against Australia, before meeting the two undefeated sides -- India and New Zealand -- will compromise their campaign. The sentence stops there.
And, England's record against all the three teams? They have not won a single World Cup match against Australia, India and New Zealand in the last 27 years.
What about Australia?
They are second, with five wins from six outings, and have fixtures against trans-Tasman neighbours New Zealand and bruised South Africa.
So, is this match as important as recent India vs Pakistan match, at least in sporting and tournament perspective.
Anyway, here we present you some key facts and numbers ahead of the match:
- Australia lost only once in their last seven ODI matches at Lord's against England (W5, T1). However, this is the first time these sides are facing each other at the venue since 2015.
- Joe Root has scores of 50 or more in six of his last seven ODI knocks (including two centuries). Strangely, the Yorkshireman had gone seven innings without a half-century beforehand.
- Joe Root, with 626 runs at an average of 62.60 in 11 innings, as England’s fifth highest run-getter in World Cup. His average is highest among seven England batsmen who made over 500 runs in World Cup.
- Mitchell Starc, with 37 wickets at an average of 14.27 in 14 matches, is the second highest wicket-taker for Australia in World Cup after Glenn McGrath (71 wickets in 39 matches).
- Jofra Archer and Mark Wood have claimed more wickets from short balls than anyone else at this World Cup, picking up eight and five respectively.
- England will be looking to avoid successive ODI defeats for the first time since
January 2017. They have not lost two in a row on home soil since
September 2015 (the second of those games coming against Australia at Lord's).
Key Quotes
"I think it's a good match-up for both teams. It's normally a really good game. The games we've played against them in the last two years, probably the scoreline hasn't been as fair as both sides have played. I think the way that both sides play lends itself to a good game of cricket, as well. So it will be a challenge for both sides I think," England captain Eoin Morgan
"I think that we're going in with a lot of confidence, no doubt. We've been playing some really good cricket and building up to I think where our level is to play really consistent international cricket on the big stage. And I think when you get into a situation where the crunch comes, it's going to be the team that holds their nerve," Australia captain Aaron Finch.