England show statement of intent to knock out Australia
Sunday 11 June 2017 17:34, UK
The stage was set. With a semi-final place secured, England had the chance to eliminate the old enemy, Australia, at Edgbaston.
For Australia, the equation was simple. Win or they were heading home. In years gone by, it would have been hard to look past an Aussie side in such a situation, certainly up against a side with nothing to play for, at least in theory.
However, this England side have been out to prove a point for the last two years and the opportunity to put down a marker against their rivals, especially in an Ashes year, was not one they were going to miss out on.
More than once, it looked as though the game might be getting away from them but the resilience instilled in this England team by Eoin Morgan was in evidence each time.
With Australia looking on course for a score well in excess of 300 - 136-1 in the 23rd over and Aaron Finch and Steve Smith looking completely at ease - England's bowlers did what they have been doing throughout this tournament: forced mistakes and picked up wickets at key times.
It was Ben Stokes who made the initial breakthrough, having Finch caught, but it was Mark Wood and Adil Rashid who exemplified all that has been good about England in this Champions Trophy.
Wood was aggressive from the start, hitting the pitch hard and clocking close to 90mph ball after ball. Make no mistake, though, this was not just a fast bowler charging in, bowling as quickly as possible and hoping for the best, it was intelligent and accurate bowling.
The Durham man has spoken of the factors that are taken into account when England devise their plans and that was clear to see as Australia toiled.
With such intelligence combined with lightning pace, that Wood claimed figures of 4-33 - including the three big scalps of David Warner, Steve Smith and Glenn Maxwell - came as little surprise.
In his ODI career to date, Wood has bowled a number of very quick, probing spells but often without the reward of wickets. If he can reproduce today's performance, such issues will surely be a thing of the past.
Rashid, meanwhile, has never had that problem. He is a wicket taker, pure and simple. It is a priceless ability to have and at Edgbaston he showed that, at his best, he can be economical as well.
The leg-spinner didn't concede a single boundary in his 10 overs, taking 4-41, as the Australian batsmen, almost to a man, failed to pick his googly. England's decision to leave him out of their opening game at The Oval becomes more and more baffling with each match that passes.
To the second innings, and having been restricted to 277-9, Australia came out fighting. Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood started superbly with the new ball and by the end of the sixth over, England were three down.
A brief rain delay allowed them a chance to gather their thoughts but in truth, they scarcely needed it. Under Morgan, England have only one thought when it comes to batting: attack.
Even with both openers and an in-form Joe Root having departed, there was to be no change. The captain himself signalled their intent as he thumped two boundaries off Starc from the first two balls after play resumed.
He and Stokes proceeded to put on 159 for the fourth wicket, batting sensibly but never losing that attacking intent. It took a run out to break the stand - Morgan the man to go for an 81-ball knock of 87, his aggressive approach further illustrated by the five sixes he dispatched into the stands.
But perhaps the man who typifies this team most is Stokes. The all-rounder has flourished in this relentlessly positive England side and by the team he muscled the ball through the offside to bring up his fourth ODI century, the game was won.
The rain prevented England celebrating that winning moment in front of a raucous crowd at Edgbaston but all the evidence suggests that there will be many more victories for Morgan's men to enjoy with their fans.
For now, they move on to Cardiff and a semi-final, likely against one of Pakistan or Sri Lanka, a statement of intent made in the most emphatic of terms.
Where once it was Australia famed for finding a way to win, possessing an unwavering self-belief and mentality that helped them overcome difficult situations and get over the line, now it is England displaying those qualities.
England have a long way to go to be considered alongside that great Australian side but in defeating their rivals, the world's second-ranked ODI side, clinically exposing their weaknesses to get out of a tight spot, they have taken another step in the right direction.
