England will head into their Cricket World Cup semi-final tie against Australia on Thursday with full of confidence that they can progress to the final.
Two comfortable victories over India and New Zealand in the group stage have lifted the mood around the camp and they are marginal favourites to defeat the Aussies.
Australia were the first team to qualify for the last four, but defeats against India and South Africa have highlighted the weaknesses in their squad. Read on as we assess the big game.
England back on track
Defeats against Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Australia during the opening stage left many pundits questioning whether England were genuine World Cup contenders.
However, they bounced back in style against India and New Zealand to silence the doubters and raise expectations amongst their fans.
Bookmakers are looking into betting sites such as BetEasy to see if England can keep their position all throughout the season. Punters can click here to take advantage of what appears to be a generous price given their upturn in form.
Jonny Bairstow and Jason Roy are the top opening pair at the World Cup and have proved difficult to stop once they hit their stride.
Ben Stokes has provided solidity further down the order, averaging 55, while Eoin Morgan has undoubtedly been a steadying influence as captain.
Jos Buttler has gone off the boil since hitting a quickfire century against Pakistan, but if he can rediscover his form Australia are likely to have their work cut out at Edgbaston.
Injury-hit Australia up against it
Australia looked in good shape during the early part of the World Cup, but injuries have left their mark on their squad.
Usman Khawaja is out of the tournament after pulling his hamstring against South Africa, while Shaun Marsh is also sidelined after fracturing his arm in the nets.
Marcus Stoinis and Mitchell Starc face a race against time to be fit to line-up against England, potentially giving them an even tougher test.
Australia’s defeat against South Africa was particularly disappointing, although David Warner’s century highlighted that he will be a man to be feared in the semi-final.
Alex Carey and Aaron Finch have also been in good form with the bat, but Australia don’t appear to possess the same depth as England in that department.
Australia may well have peaked a little too soon at the tournament and it’s difficult to imagine them beating England on Thursday.