NOW END 44 YEARS OF HURT
++ Fantastic England annihilate the old enemy ++ Cricket’s coming home if they beat New Zealand at Lord’s
This was not just victory over Australia. This was a total shellacking of the old enemy that gloriously and joyously took England to their first World Cup final in 27 years and laid down some serious markers for the Ashes.
What a day for England and what a triumph for Eoin Morgan, who is now standing on the brink of joining Bobby Moore and Martin Johnson as the only captains of English teams to lift major World Cups.
it was all over after only 32.1 overs of the England innings as they galloped past Australia’s woeful 223 all out with all the ease of a team who have overcome their mid- tournament blip to fully justify all the planning and prioritising that has gone into this tournament.
England will head to Lord’s on sunday to face New Zealand, whom they defeated by 119 runs at Durham only last week, as hot favourites to end 44 years of hurt and finally win this World Cup for the first time since its inception in 1975.
Truly, this was a day to savour as the real England, the one that has been routinely and thrillingly dismissing virtually all opponents in one- day cricket over the last four years, stood up like never before in this tournament.
From the moment Australia captain Aaron Finch, with seven 50-over centuries against England to his name, was trapped lbw first ball by the brilliant Jofra Archer, this was the day when it really did look as though the cricket World Cup was coming home.
The only sour note of a near perfect day came when Jason Roy, again dominant with a blistering 85 off 65 balls, was given out in a truly awful decision by Kumar Dharmasena and showed serious dissent during his protracted departure.
Roy clearly missed his attempted pull off Pat Cummins that went through down the leg side to Alex Carey and was stunned to see Dharmasena raise his finger after prolonged appealing by Australia.
it was a howler of the worst kind but the problem for Roy was that Jonny Bairstow, his partner in a fourth consecutive 100-plus stand for the first wicket, had wasted England’s review when trapped palpably lbw by Mitchell starc.
so enraged was Roy he had to be ushered off by umpire Marais Erasmus and expressed his displeasure with his body language and apparent mouthing of obscenities. he was fined 30 per cent of his match fee by referee Ranjan Madugalle, but not suspended.
it should not be allowed to take the gloss off England’s day. Everywhere you looked there were notable performances in their most important one-day international since Graham Gooch’s side were beaten by Pakistan in the 1992 World Cup final.
First there was Archer, again showing what a thoroughbred of a fast bowler he already is with the pace and hostility to see off Finch and later Glenn Maxwell, taking his World Cup wicket tally to an England-record 19 for the tournament.
But, more brutally, there was the sight of Australian blood on the Edgbaston pitch, where the Ashes begin in less than three weeks, when Archer knocked off Carey’s helmet with a nasty blow on the chin and nonchalantly retired to the boundary for a drink while the Australian wicketkeeper was treated.
Only the side injury that is supposed to be hindering the new bowling superstar of international cricket can possibly stop Archer taking the new ball in the first Ashes Test back here on August 1.
Even more impressive was the new-ball bowling of local hero Chris Woakes as England came bristling and bursting out of the traps after Finch had won what seemed like an important toss to set the tone for a day of English dominance.
Woakes was at the heart of that burst with an opening spell of two for 16 off six overs that saw the back of David Warner, prolific in his comeback tournament, and the hopelessly out- of-his- depth squad replacement Peter handscomb.
honestly, this was like the fabled Ashes Test here in 2005 in the intensity of the England bowling and the raucous atmosphere of England’s most fervent ground as Australia found themselves rocking on 14 for three with little chance of hitting back.
They did manage to at least hold their sinking ship together when steve smith, booed more vigorously than Warner, and the impressive Carey, bandaged up like Rick McCosker after being hit by Bob Willis in 1977, added 103 for the fourth wicket.
it did look as though Australia would produce a total to at least test England in this tournament where batting first has invariably held sway until Carey foolishly swung Adil Rashid to cow corner and the door was again open to England.
smith’s defiant 85 was ended by a brilliant direct hit run out from Jos Buttler and Australia wasted an over as they were rushed out for a score at least 50 short of where they should have been on one of the best pitches of this World Cup.
it never looked enough. What a difference Roy has made to England since returning from his hamstring injury and what a display of hitting this was with five sixes flying into a thankfully full and jubilant Edgbaston crowd.
Nothing was better than the extraordinary six off starc, Australia’s best bowler, that was somehow flicked by Roy to long leg’s left and nothing was more satisfying than the straight six that flew off Nathan Lyon’s first ball.
Yet, most notably of all, there were three successive sixes off a single smith over that cost 21 runs, the third flying further and higher into Edgbaston’s new stand than any seasoned Warwickshire observer could remember.
Australia started the week walking barefoot on the Edgbaston outfield and now they had their socks blown off by Roy. There can be no doubt that the surrey man, fitness permitting, will be facing the new ball here again in white clothes on August 1.
it was all over when Joe Root and Morgan enjoyed themselves in an unbroken stand of 79 and Edgbaston resounded to the sounds of ‘Warner, Warner what’s the score?’ and ‘ smith, smith what’s the score?’ from the hollies stand.
The score was the heaviest of thrashings by England over Australia, and only New Zealand now stand in the way of Morgan’s side and the World Cup. Deliciously, the threatened rain finally came just as England strolled to the sweetest of victories.
What a day and what a display to give England the psychological edge over their old enemy for the Ashes. But first comes their date with destiny on sunday and a new name on the World Cup trophy, whoever wins. England are nearly there now. One more step to create cricket history.