Australia's World Cup dream comes crashing down

Australia's dreams of a fairytale World Cup crown were ended by England's ascendant one-day juggernaut, blowing their bitter rivals away with trademark aggression in their semi-final at Edgbaston to put themselves on the brink of their maiden 50-over title.

The tournament hosts will play New Zealand in Sunday's final at Lord's after winning their first World Cup knockout game since 1992 with a dominant eight-wicket victory over the reigning champions.

Image Id: DC2F62FB710740E280C44436C0BCC311 Image Caption: Joe Root celebrates the winning runs // Getty

Skipper Eoin Morgan (45 not out off 39) hit the winning runs with 17.5 overs to spare, while Joe Root (49 not out off 46 balls) also finished unbeaten.

Jason Roy (85 off 65 balls) led England's charge and was cruelly denied a century by an umpiring blunder that prompted a startling, DRS-induced outburst from the opener that later saw him fined by the ICC and come within one demerit point of suspension.

Roy immediately reviewed when umpire Kumar Dharmasena deemed he'd gloved a short ball off Pat Cummins (1-34 off seven overs). Dharmasena initially signaled to send the decision to the third umpire, before Australia protested knowing that Jonny Bairstow had already used England's only challenge. A fuming Roy then gesticulated angrily as he walked off and appeared to fire back some heated words towards the officials as he received a standing ovation for his stunning innings.

It was the only hiccup in an otherwise clinical performance from England, demonstrating why they're the best ODI team in the world and long been rated as the World Cup favourites.

Steve Smith, promoted to No.3, maintained his terrific record in do-or-die ODIs, scoring 85 off 119 balls with wickets tumbling all around him, but found little support as Australia stuttered to reach just 223 before being bowled out with an over to spare.

Image Id: BBD60FF37530427481F5946D050BE7C3 Image Caption: Smith has four successive 50+ scores in ICC knockout games // Getty

It marks a disappointing end to Australia's campaign, who had high hopes of claiming a second-straight title and their sixth overall having found their 50-over mojo in the early stages of the tournament.

Criticised for bowling too short with the new ball against Australia at Lord's last month, Jofra Archer and Chris Woakes effectively decided the match in the first seven overs with tremendous opening spells that left the visitors' top order, and Alex Carey's face, in tatters.

The England duo bowled half as many back-of-a-length deliveries as they did in that group-stage clash with Australia and were rewarded with three early scalps, including star openers Aaron Finch and David Warner, to leave the Aussies with an insurmountable task.

An Archer bouncer left Carey (46 off 70) needing stitches and a bandage, evoking memories of Rick McCosker in the Centenary Test, to stem the bleeding from his chin while he batted but courageously pushed on in a 103-run fourth-wicket stand with Smith.

Image Id: AB3802F7D10B44FAB435125959D2F6E0 Image Caption: Smith and an injured Carey put on 103 together // Getty

If there were any jitters in the England camp with one foot in the final at the halfway point, Roy and Jonny Bairstow (34 off 43) successfully dodged them on the way out the dressing room door as the pair treated Australia's bowlers with disdain.

Starc (1-70 off nine overs), whose 27th wicket saw him go past Glenn McGraths' record for the most victims in a single World Cup, saw his first four overs dispatched for 38 as the right-handed duo sent the Birmingham crowd into a frenzy.

Image Id: 3E88E5CAF464420A899F4E2673B95410 Image Caption: Mitchell Starc claims his 27th wicket of the tournament // Getty

Bairstow hurt his groin turning for a second run and required extensive treatment, but the stroke-play of the openers only grew more audacious, smashing 74 off just seven overs after the initial Power Play.

Roy took to Steve Smith's only over of leg-spin with glee, smashing 21 off it including three consecutive sixes over long-on, sparking the Edgbaston crowd into rowdy renditions of 'Hey Jude' and 'Sweet Caroline' with equal vigour. Full in voice, the venue was also eventually full in number, despite fears that tickets sold when the game's participants were unknown may see seats left unclaimed.

Finch won what many had deemed a crucial toss and batted, but their supposed advantage was immediately erased as Woakes and Archer took a flamethrower to Australia's top-order, reducing them to 3-14.

Image Id: 8DB0BF6D9A9D441EBC4513D9C3450E26 Image Caption: Archer appeals for - and gets - the wicket of Finch // Getty

Finch became the first captain ever to make a golden duck in a knockout World Cup game when Archer's opening delivery found a familiar route past his defensive poke and into his front pad.

It became a double blow when the skipper burnt his side's only review trying to overturn the call.

Warner looked ominous by smashing Woakes for four back over his head, but the right-armer found his edge with a lifter and had him caught at first slip.

When World Cup debutant Handscomb, at the crease earlier than he'd ever been before in an ODI, was bowled by Woakes for four after a scratchy 12-ball knock and his replacement Carey was left requiring constant medical attention, Australia were in deep trouble.

Image Id: D6D84C4B0B5A4D5C84FBDA8BEF2B611E Image Caption: Chris Woakes was named player of the match for his 3-20 // Getty

Carey and Smith fought bravely, the former in particular given his facial handicap and his promotion up from No.7 to No.5, before his stint was ended when he chipped leg-spinner Adil Rashid, who spun a web in a superb spell of 3-54 off 10 overs, to deep mid-wicket.

Marcus Stoinis' rough campaign with the bat continued when he failed to pick a wrong'un and was out lbw for a second-ball duck, bringing his tournament run tally to 87 at 14.50. It was the fifth time the allrounder has gotten out to Rashid in 10 ODIs against him.

Image Id: 34261452908046D8B38B6D2CED83A7BA Image Caption: Pat Cummins edges Adil Rashid to Joe Root // Getty

Glenn Maxwell, pushed down to No.7 having fared little better than Stoinis throughout the World Cup, charged at Rashid and popped him over long-on for six, but soon after he was out, lobbing one up to cover after appearing to be cleverly deceived by Archer. The mercurial right-hander finished with 177 runs at 22.12 for the tournament.

Smith held things together on the way to a 72-ball half-century, finding some late support from Mitchell Starc (29 off 39), but the loss of 4-49 through their middle overs proved damaging.

Wicketkeeper Jos Buttler ran Smith out with a direct hit as a century beckoned, with the Aussies losing 3-6 in 12 balls to finish their batting innings, and eventually their campaign, with hardly a whimper.

Australia XI: David Warner, Aaron Finch (c), Steven Smith, Peter Handscomb, Glenn Maxwell, Alex Carey (wk), Marcus Stoinis, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Jason Behrendorff, Nathan Lyon.

England XI: Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan (c), Jos Buttler (wk), Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Jofra Archer, Mark Wood.

2019 World Cup

Australia's squad: Aaron Finch (c), Jason Behrendorff, Alex Carey (wk), Nathan Coulter-Nile, Pat Cummins, Peter Handscomb, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Glenn Maxwell, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, David Warner, Adam Zampa

June 1: Australia beat Afghanistan by seven wickets

June 6: Australia beat West Indies by 15 runs

June 9: Australia lost to India by 36 runs

June 12: Australia beat Pakistan by 41 runs

June 15: Australia beat Sri Lanka by 87 runs

June 20: Australia beat Bangladesh by 48 runs

June 25: Australia beat England by 64 runs

June 29: Australia beat New Zealand by 86 runs

July 6: Australia lost to South Africa by 10 runs

July 9: New Zealand beat India by 18 runs

July 11: Australia lost to England by 8 wickets

July 14: Final, England v New Zealand, Lord's

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