 "Former England cricketer reportedly under police investigation over sexual assault allegations"){kind=logo}
 "IPL franchise lodges unique protest against Pakistan ahead of India's Asia Cup showdown against arch-rivals")
Australia vs England, ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 Semi-Final Match at Birmingham, LIVE Updates: England win by eight wickets and book their place in the World Cup final for the first time since 1992! Skipper Morgan collects the winning runs, lofting the ball over mid on for a boundary and getting a hug from his partner Joe Root right after! Defending champions Australia bow out of the title race with a thrashing at Edgbaston. Both batsmen remain unbeaten in the 40s at the end of the chase, Root just one short of his fifty. England seem primed to win their maiden title but it will take a special effort to upstage arch-rivals and record five-time champions Australia in the second World Cup semi-final on Thursday. England have turned it around following their first-round exit in the 2015 edition and have become a formidable one-day side. Considering the firepower the hosts possess, many current and former players have said it is England’s World Cup to lose, a trophy they have not been able to lift despite making the final in 1979, 1987 and 1992. And between them and a fourth shot at the title, stand familiar foes Australia who have been so consistent in the mega event that they are yet to lose a semifinal, having won six and one being a dramatic tie against South Africa in the 1999 edition. While England don’t have injury issues, Australia coach Langer has already confirmed Peter Handscomb will replace an injured Usman Khawaja in the playing eleven. All-rounder Marcus Stoinis has recovered from a side strain he sustained against South Africa. Full team squads: England Team Players: Eoin Morgan (capt), Moeen Ali , Jofra Archer , Jonny Bairstow (wk), Jos Buttler (wk), Tom Curran , Liam Dawson , Liam Plunkett , Adil Rashid , Joe Root , Jason Roy , Ben Stokes , James Vince , Chris Woakes , Mark Wood . Australia Team Players: Aaron Finch (capt), Jason Behrendorff , Alex Carey (wk), Nathan Coulter-Nile , Pat Cummins , Usman Khawaja , Nathan Lyon , Shaun Marsh , Glenn Maxwell , Kane Richardson , Steve Smith , Mitchell Starc , Marcus Stoinis , David Warner , Adam Zampa **.** For all the latest news, opinions and analysis from ICC Cricket World Cup 2019, click here With Agency inputs
Highlights, Australia vs England, ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 Semi-Final Match at Birmingham, full cricket score: England qualify for final
Australia vs England, ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 LIVE Updates: England win by eight wickets and book their place in the World Cup final for the first time since 1992! Skipper Morgan collects the winning runs, lofting the ball over mid on for a boundary and getting a hug from his partner Joe Root right after! Defending champions Australia bow out of the title race with a thrashing at Edgbaston. Both batsmen remain unbeaten in the 40s at the end of the chase, Root just one short of his fifty.
)
That brings us to the end of the semi-finals of the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup, at the conclusion of which we are certain of the fact that the World Cup will have a first-time winner in either England or New Zealand.
The two teams posted contrasting wins to book their ticket to London — New Zealand suffering an almighty scare from India before ending up on the right side, while England handing arch-rivals Australia a sound thrashing at Edgbaston to storm into their first World Cup final in 27 years.
We now have a three day break before the two sides meet at the ‘Home of Cricket’ for the summit clash. Can’t wait for what is expected to be a thriller of a finale. Till then, it’s a goodnight from the Firstpost sports desk.
Chris Woakes, Player of the Match for 3/20
Woakes: Pretty speechless. Incredible performance from whole team. There were some nerves around in the morning. A few anxious people in dressing room. But we proved how good we are. Finally got my length right after the boundary off the first ball. I think that was not a bad wicket by any means. I think we found the right length and kept the pressure on. I was 3 when England played in 1992 final. We hope we can go all the way. It was important for us to get to the knockout stages. Really looking forward to Sunday.
This is Australia’s first defeat in ODI World Cup semifinals. They won six out of seven World Cup semifinals prior to this World Cup.
Australia in each ODI WC:
1975 – Runner up
1979 – Group Stage
1983 – Group Stage
1987 – Champions
1992 – Group Stage
1996 – Runner up
1999 – Champions
2003 – Champions
2007 – Champions
2011 – Quarter Finals
2015 – Champions
2019 – Semi-final
—
After 32.1 overs,England 226/2 ( Joe Root 49 , Eoin Morgan (C) 45)
England win by eight wickets and book their place in the World Cup final for the first time since 1992! Skipper Morgan collects the winning runs, lofting the ball over mid on for a boundary and getting a hug from his partner Joe Root right after! Defending champions Australia bow out of the title race with a thrashing at Edgbaston. Both batsmen remain unbeaten in the 40s at the end of the chase, Root just one short of his fifty.
After 32 overs,England 222/2 ( Joe Root 49 , Eoin Morgan (C) 41)
Root cuts the ball behind point for a boundary off the second delivery to reduce the equation down to one hit to the fence. Single collected off the next two deliveries, bringing the equation down to England needing another two runs to win from 18 overs.
After 31 overs,England 216/2 ( Joe Root 44 , Eoin Morgan (C) 40)
Six conceded by Behrendorff, who has been Australia’s standout bowler so far today, including a boundary to Root off the fourth delivery. Just eight more runs needed for them to seal a place in the final now, and they could get there in the next over.
After 30 overs,England 210/2 ( Joe Root 39 , Eoin Morgan (C) 40)
England are now hurrying away towards the target, with Lyon’s fifth over adding 13 runs to the hosts’ total. Both Morgan and Root collect a boundary each in this over, their team needing another 14 to win with 20 overs to spare.
The realisation that you are going to the World Cup final.
After 29 overs,England 197/2 ( Joe Root 33 , Eoin Morgan (C) 33)
Dot off each delivery of the over. The third one’s signalled a wide by square-leg umpire Dharmasena, much to the Edgbaston crowd’s disapproval (leading to another round of boos). Morgan’s foxed by a slower bouncer off the penultimate delivery, and denies a single after guiding the ball towards mid on off the last delivery. Second maiden for Behrendorff today. England need 27 to win from 21 overs, with the umpire calling drinks on the field for the final time today.
After 28 overs,England 197/2 ( Joe Root 33 , Eoin Morgan (C) 33)
Morgan collects back-to-back fours in Lyon’s fourth over, which adds 11 runs to the England total, the fifty-partnership coming up between Morgan and Root in this over. . The home side need another 27 to win from 22 overs to enter the World Cup final for a fourth time. They should get there in a canter, the way things are going at the moment.
After 27 overs,England 186/2 ( Joe Root 32 , Eoin Morgan (C) 23)
Behrendorff returns to the attack in place of Starc from the Birmingham End. Concedes eight off the over, including a boundary to Morgan off the penultimate delivery, in which the English skipper pulls a short ball — his nemesis — behind square to collect his fourth four. England need another 38 to win from 23 overs.
After 26 overs,England 178/2 ( Joe Root 31 , Eoin Morgan (C) 16)
Root collects a single off the first delivery. Morgan misses a reverse sweep off the next ball. He nails the shot three balls later, this time guiding it over backward point, and collecting his third boundary, before collecting a brace off the last delivery. Seven off the over. England need 46 to win from 24 overs.
After 25 overs,England 171/2 ( Joe Root 30 , Eoin Morgan (C) 10)
Five off Starc’s eighth over, including a boundary to Root off the fourth delivery, his fifth of the innings so far. Root moves to 30 at the end of the over, and has taken charge for the remainder of the chase already. England need another 53 to win from 25 overs.
After 24 overs,England 166/2 ( Joe Root 25 , Eoin Morgan (C) 10)
Roy collects a single first up. Morgan gets a leading edge off the second delivery that lands short of Cummins. Edges the ball towards fine leg off the next ball, this time collecting a single. Root helps himself to one run off the fourth delivery, guiding the ball through cover. Wide called for height off the penultimate delivery. Morgan ends the over with a lofted drive over mid off for a boundary. Eight off the over. England need 58 to win from 26 overs.
After 23 overs,England 158/2 ( Joe Root 23 , Eoin Morgan (C) 5)
Dot off each of the first three deliveries, Maxwell putting in a well-timed stop at backward point off the second. Root nudges the ball towards fine leg for a single off the fourth. Finch places himself behind Carey at long stop ahead of the penultimate delivery, with Morgan then dispatching the back-of-length ball towards the point fence to collect his first four. The England skipper denies a single off the last ball. Five off the over. England need 66 to win from 27 overs.
After 22 overs,England 153/2 ( Joe Root 22 , Eoin Morgan (C) 1)
Cummins continues from the other end. Single collected off each of the first two deliveries followed by four consecutive dots. Meanwhile, the Edgbaston groundstaff are ready with the covers as it begins to drizzle at the venue. Not a situation serious enough for the umpires to halt play. England, though, are more then 70 runs ahead of the DLS par score, and need another 71 to win from 28 overs.
After 21 overs,England 151/2 ( Joe Root 21 , Eoin Morgan (C) 0)
Starc brought back in place of Stoinis, Finch now looking to attack the two batsmen at the centre, Root still relatively new at the crease. The left-arm pacer keeps it tight in this over, giving away only a couple of doubles as England breach the 150-run mark. England need another 73 to win from 29 overs.
After 20 overs,England 147/2 ( Joe Root 17 , Eoin Morgan (C) 0)
Cummins brought back in place of Starc from the Pavilion End. Root cuts the ball behind point for a boundary off the second delivery, before pulling it towards square leg for a single off the third delivery. Roy’s dismissed rather contentiously off the fourth, getting adjudged caught-behind by Dharmasena even though replays show a gap between his gloves and the ball. Out walks England skipper Eoin Morgan, his side needing another 77 to win from 30 overs with eight wickets in hand. Can Australia trigger a turnaround from here? Very difficult, if not impossible.
85 (today), 60, 66, 153, 8, 54, 114, 76, 87, 2, 123
OUT! Another poor decision from umpire Kumar Dharmasena. Roy misses the ball while attempting a pull, with the umpire perhaps succumbing to the vociferous appeal from Cummins, raising his finger after a bit of a pause. Roy’s furious with the decision, and replays show why. Can’t use the review though, Bairstow had wasted it earlier in the innings. ENG 147/2
Roy c Carey b Cummins 85(65)
After 19 overs,England 141/1 ( Jason Roy 84 , Joe Root 12)
Five off Stoinis’ second over, including a boundary to Roy off the first delivery. There’s no stopping the Englishmen right now despite the fall of their first wicket. England need 83 off 31 overs.
Most wickets in an ODI World Cup:
27 – Mitchell Starc, 2019*
26 – Glenn McGrath, 2007
23 – Chaminda Vaas, 2003
23 – Shaun Tait,2007
23 – M Muralitharan, 2007