Eoin Morgan has told Australia they face a very different England team to the one that lost to the old enemy earlier in the World Cup, insisting his side are back to their best for today’s semi-final showdown.

The rivals go head-to-head at Edgbaston, fighting for the right to take on a New Zealand side who shocked India to seal their place in the Lord’s final.

It is England’s biggest knockout match in a generation, having never won the World Cup and not reached the semi-finals since 1992, but Morgan hopes they can enjoy their moment.

‘Sometimes you can lose sight of the position you’re in and the fact you’re living your dream. Sometimes, I’m guilty of it,’ said the England captain.

‘I don’t think it is impossible to play with a smile on your face. Excitement probably should be the dominant [emotion]. It’s a World Cup semi-final.’

Rewind just a couple of weeks and England’s prospects were looking vastly different, with Australia’s 64-run win at Lord’s forcing the hosts to the brink of elimination.

England recovered their battling spirit in dominant victories over India and New Zealand, and Morgan warned Australia they would not have it so easy again.

‘We’re probably more confident than we were three games ago. We are probably a different team,’ he added.

‘For a while getting through to this stage looked unlikely, or was called into question. That makes it more exciting. It feels like we’re back to the team we are.’

Morgan has a chance to settle a personal score if he comes up against the tournament’s leading wicket-taker, left-arm quick Mitchell Starc.

Former team-mate Kevin Pietersen accused Morgan of showing ‘weakness’ and looking ‘scared’ at Lord’s. But Morgan said: ‘When Kevin Pietersen comes out with a comment, it’s similar to comments I address from Geoffrey Boycott. They are not ones that are good for the team environment and don’t take the best interests of the team or the player at heart.

‘Guys are trying their heart out for their country. We have critics being critics. That’s their job, so let them be.’

METRO

BDST: 1203 HRS, JUL 11, 2019
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