All you need for Australia's World Cup semi-final

So, what's going on?  

If you've been living under a rock for the past few weeks, you've picked the perfect time to emerge. It's nothing less than Australia v England in a World Cup semi-final. It's not an Ashes Test match, but it's pretty much the next best thing.  

Alright, when and where is the game?  

The match will be played at Edgbaston in Birmingham on Thursday night from 7.30pm AEST. The venue probably isn't ideal for Australian-supporting omen seekers: an Australian team has not won a match there in any format since Steve Waugh's Ashes tourists in 2001, while England haven't lost there in the past five years. But that sort of form book goes out the window in a World Cup semi-final and it’s worth remembering this: Australia featured the last time a World Cup semi-final was played at Edgbaston and it turned out to be perhaps the greatest game ever played. More on that below from a man who played in that day.

Is it going to rain?

Fair question given what we’ve seen so far! There is a 40 per cent chance of light rain forecast in Birmingham for most of Thursday afternoon, but there are reserve days for the semi-finals and Friday’s forecast is looking good. The tournament uses the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method to help with matches reduced by rain and if a full match can’t be completed on Thursday, teams will be able to pack up and return the next day, as India and New Zealand had to do in the first semi-final.

And if there’s no result on either days, Australia will advance to the final given they finished second in the group stage, ahead of England in third place.

What if it’s a tie?

If scores are tied in a semi-final or the final itself, we'll have a Super Over, which will see each team face six balls to score as many runs as possible. The team with the highest score at the end of the Super Over will be declared the winner. 

If conditions prevent a Super Over from being completed in the semi-final (including on the reserve day) then the higher-ranked team will go through to the final.

Ripper, how can I watch it?

Kayo and Fox Cricket will continue their coverage of the tournament as they have done for every World Cup game, broadcasting in high definition and ad-break free during play. Fox Cricket will also run a 30-minute pre-game show featuring the likes of Mark Waugh, Andrew Symonds, Chris Lynn and Kerry O'Keefe in their Sydney studio, and the broadcast will also revert to the studio between innings.

The Nine Network has put this semi-final blockbuster on their main channel after showing previous matches on the 9Gem. Coverage will start at 7pm AEST with a half-hour pre-game show on Gem featuring Mark Taylor and Ian Healy before the action switches to the main channel for first ball from 7.30pm AEST. Western Australia viewers, you will stay on 9Gem from 5pm AWST until 7.30pm AWST when the match will switch to Nine.

Not signed up to Kayo yet? 

Well, there's never been a better time, and you can enjoy the finals campaign with a 14-day free trial by clicking right HERE.

How about radio coverage? 

The World Cup will continue to be broadcast on ABC Radio, Crocmedia's SEN and Macquarie Sports Radio. 

I want my scores online 

Then you're in the right place. The cricket.com.au match centre and CA Live app will bring you live scoring from the semi-final as it has done for every one of the 46 World Cup matches so far and will continue to do right through to Sunday's final.  

Players to watch

Australia’s fearsome left-arm pacer Mitchell Starc has taken 26 wickets in the tournament so far and needs just one more to overtake Glenn McGrath and set a new record for the most wickets in a single World Cup. The big fella sure loves this event; he was player of the tournament at the 2015 edition and he’s expected to have another big game on Thursday.  

Be it barely-believable catches, fearsome hitting or his bowling exploits, England’s Ben Stokes is just one of those players who always seems to be in the thick of the action. He's had an incredible tournament, bailing England out on more than a couple of occasions with the bat, although he was on the wrong end of the ball of the tournament so far from Starc when the teams met at Lord’s two weeks ago.

All eyes will be on Peter Handscomb, who will make his tournament debut in the pressure cooker of a semi-final after he was rushed into Australia’s squad as an injury replacement. Handscomb played brilliantly earlier this year when Steve Smith was out of the side due to suspension and the Victorian was unlucky not to be picked in the original squad. Handscomb is certain to play and there might be another late change to the Australian side, with Tasmanian Matthew Wade – who has been in red-hot form – a chance to play if Australia make a gutsy call to drop Glenn Maxwell, who has been short of runs of late.

Fun facts

* Here’s a random tidbit that probably doesn’t mean anything; all five of Australia's World Cup winning sides have featured a Tasmanian in the playing XI. It’s perhaps not so random when you consider Ricky Ponting was that Tasmanian in three events – 1999, 2003 and 2007 – but in 1987 it was David Boon and in 2015, James Faulkner carried the flag for the apple isle. Even more impressively is the fact that each of that trio has won the player of the match award in a World Cup final! And remember, new squad addition Wade is the only Tasmanian in the current group.

* Did you know Australia has never lost a World Cup semi-final? They’ve played seven, won six and one has been a tie.

* Steve Smith hasn't quite lit up the World Cup just yet and he’s due a big score against Australia’s greatest rivals. In his past 10 ODI innings against England, Smith has scored just one fifty, in their Champions Trophy loss at Edgbaston two years ago. Interestingly, Smith has been dismissed five times by England spinner Adil Rashid in one-day cricket, the most against any bowler. Could be a key match-up!  

Form guide

Australia have lost 10 of their past 12 ODIs against England, but one of those two wins came at Lord’s two weeks ago, when the Aussies won by 64 runs. But the form of the two teams since then has been contrasting; Australia lost their last group stage match against South Africa last Saturday, while England rediscovered their best form to thrash India and New Zealand and secure a semi-final spot.

In World Cup matches, Australia are on a four-match winning streak over England, who last beat the Aussies in the tournament 27 years ago.

What the players say

"I think they are full of world-class players, they've been the No.1 team now for a couple of years. They should be going into this World Cup as favourites. It's all on them. It's their World Cup to lose, if you ask me. We have nothing to lose, we only have stuff to gain.” – Australia spinner Nathan Lyon

"We're a different sort of animal compared to our (past) teams. We've played well for the past four years, we're ranked number one and we feel in a good place. We feel on our day we can beat anyone in the world." – England fast bowler Liam Plunkett

How much money is on the line?

Other than the love of the game, pride of representing their country and adoration of millions of fans, the teams are playing for some big biccies. The ICC have stumped up a US$10 million prize pool for the tournament, with the winning team to earn US$4 million. The runners-up will receive US$2million. Bow out at the semi-final stage and dry your tears with US$800,000. And for every match won in the group stage, teams will earn US$40,000.

The squads

Australia: 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 (Standby players: Matthew Wade, Mitchell Marsh) 

England: Eoin Morgan (c), Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler (wk), Tom Curran, Liam Dawson, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, James Vince, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood