Australia routed by England on the attack

EOIN Morgan’s attacking instincts proved the game-changer for England in their Champions Trophy rout of Australia, although the captain admits it was handy having the brilliant Ben Stokes at the other end too.

England’s fourth-wicket pair turned the apparent perils of 35 for three in pursuit of 277 for nine into a victory surge as their stand of 159 set up a 40-run Duckworth-Lewis victory which put Australia out of the tournament.

After Stokes hit a careerbest unbeaten 102 from 109 balls, England were home and hosed by the time rain swept over Edgbaston for a second time, with a matchwinning 240 for four on the board.

While Australia must head home after two previous no-results, the hosts will take a short trip south for a Wednesday semi-final in Cardiff.

That outcome seemed a world away when England’s openers and Joe Root were back in the pavilion before a short initial rain break, leaving Morgan (87) and Stokes to come up with a plan to knock off an Australia total featuring three half-centuries but limited by four wickets each for Mark Wood and Adil Rashid.

Morgan’s response was clear from the moment he resumed his innings, with boundaries from the first two balls he faced against Mitchell Starc among five fours reeled off in 11 deliveries.

Asked for his memory of the chat before heading back out, Morgan said: “We just talked about how we were going to go about it. We felt the positive way was the best way. It managed to work.”

Australia captain Steve Smith said: “We were off a bit and gave them a lot of freebies, but they did play exceptionally well.” England’s Eoin Morgan