WATCH: Cricket World Cup 2019 – Australia v England highlights


1718 BST: It’s hammering down with rain now.

1714 BST: England 226/2 (32.1 overs) – ENGLAND WIN BY EIGHT WICKETS
Morgan smacks Behrendorff over mid-on for the winning runs. Fitting, that. England have been utterly magnificent in all three disciplines here. They have blown the holders away, and we will now have a new name on the Cricket World Cup trophy as New Zealand and England go for glory at Lord’s on Sunday.

1713 BST: England 222/2 (32 overs)
Root hammers Starc to the point boundary to take England within one shot of the final. Maxwell, loon that he is, denies Root with a stunning diving stop in the gully. Two to win.

1708 BST: England 216/2 (31 overs)
The target down to single figures as Root just plays a daft shot. He’s got both feet in the air as he swats Behrendorff through midwicket with surprising power to reach the boundary.

1704 BST: England 210/2 (30 overs)
England’s 200 is up as Morgan smashes a short ball from Lyon to the cover boundary. Picks up two more with a sweep out to deep midwicket. Root now on the reverse as well and he to picks up a boundary. Thirteen from that over, and just 14 more needed.

1658 BST: England 197/2 (29 overs)
Haha, a maiden over from Behrendorff and a drinks break. England need 27 to win, and according to my rain radar it’s going to be wet in about 15 minutes. Could yet be some banter afoot.

1654 BST: England 197/2 (28 overs)
Morgan looking to get things done against the spin of Lyon here. Sweeps fine and slaps through cover. Both go for four. Do we dare go with this yet?

Our full Australia v England match report in Jofra Archer tweets is here.

1650 BST: England 186/2 (27 overs)
Behrendorff not quick enough to do what Starc and Cummins can do to Morgan. England’s captain swivels on a pull shot and finds the gap between long-leg and boundary sweeper to collect four. Just 38 more needed for a famous win. Can the final be moved to Edgbaston, do you think?

1646 BST: England 178/2 (26 overs)
Lyon back on. Morgan will be pleased. And he is. Celebrates by reverse-lapping over short third-man for four. Bit lucky with an outside edge next ball that brings him a couple. Just 46 more needed for victory now.

1643 BST: England 171/2 (25 overs)
It is extraordinarily Joe Root of Joe Root to have just helped himself to 30 not out off 29 balls amid all the nonsense of Roy’s dismissal and Morgan’s travails against the bouncer. Flicks a 93mph ball from Starc down to the fine-leg boundary.

1638 BST: England 166/2 (24 overs)
Morgan finally gets one in his own half and gleefully pops it over mid-off for four. Thanks, Pat.

1634 BST: England 158/2 (23 overs)
Unless Roy went racial, we think he can only get two demerit points for his outburst there. He has one demerit point to his name already. Four means a ban, so we think he should be okay. He will definitely be getting those two demerit points you’d imagine, and a significantly lightened wallet. Morgan, meanwhile, continues his trial against the short ball but does land a blow of his own by smearing one over cover for four.

1630 BST: England 153/2 (22 overs)
Couple of singles, couple of bouncers. Morgan looking a bit antsy.

1625 BST: England 151/2 (21 overs)
It’s going to be Starc and Cummins bowling bouncers at Root and Morgan for a bit now. Fair enough. Should note, because we missed it in all that Roy excitement, that we’re past 20 overs so we have a game. If it were to rain now and no more play were possible today, England would win. To be clear, we will not be coming back tomorrow whatever happens now.

1619 BST: England 147/2 (20 overs)
Roy absolutely raging after that decision. His frustration is understandable, but the sweary reaction is not. He took some removing from the crease. Hate to say it, but he may well have just got himself banned for the World Cup final. That was some pretty serious dissent.

WICKET! Jason Roy c Carey b Cummins 85 (65b, 9×4, 5×6, SR: 130.76)
Jonny Bairstow might need to find a place to hide in the dressing room. Roy’s got an absolute shocker here from Dharmasena, given out caught behnd hooking when he’s missed it by a fair distance. He instantly reviews the decision, only to be told he can’t because of Bairstow’s earlier review of a plumb lbw. It was a smart take from Carey, we should note. The ball deviated a long way after it passed the batsman, which is presumably what caught the umpire out as well.

1613 BST: England 141/1 (19 overs)
Roy just doing whatever he wants now, hammering another pull shot off Stoinis to the fence at midwicket. The crowd at Edgbaston now drunk and/or confident enough to get a full chorus of “Cricket’s coming home” going.

1609 BST: England 136/1 (18 overs)
Eventful over. Starc has his 27th wicket of the tournament – which is just plain nutty – but it’s done precisely nothing to halt England’s charge. Root, the steady one, the accumulator, comes in at number three and hits three of his first four balls to the fence. The first one is admittedly incredibly fortunate, a fierce short ball gloved out of Carey’s reach down to the fine-leg boundary, but the next two are lovely stuff. The first glanced with full control to the same boundary and the third laced through point off the back foot.

WICKET! Jonny Bairstow lbw b Starc 34 (43b, 5×4, SR: 79.06)
Starc back and he makes the breakthrough. Swinging back in to Bairstow and he’s hit plumb in front. Reviews, which looks optimistic. And is. England lose their review with their first wicket, juts as Australia did earlier.

1603 BST: England 124/0 (17 overs)
This is truly extraordinary. Roy slaughters a pull shot through midwicket to end Stoinis’ first over. There are spots of rain falling, though. Still need three overs before the end of tomorrow night for a game…

1558 BST: England 116/0 (16 overs)
The Steve Smith Experiment is a brief and costly one. Roy hits him down the ground for three consecutive sixes. The first one is a mishit that only just clears Maxwell.. The second one is flat. The third one is ABSOLUTELY MONSTROUS AND INTO THE TOP TIER. It’s 101m, apparently. Only the fourth 100m six of the tournament. Outrageous antics and England suddenly need only 108 to win.

1555 BST: Steve Smith is on to try and buy a wicket. The crowd give him the now-traditional greeting.

1552 BST: England 95/0 (15 overs)
Good grief. Mitchell Starc has destroyed all before him at this World Cup but Bairstow and Roy are now taking him apart. Both England openers drive him over the top for four before Roy goes through to yet another 50 with a flashing drive through the covers. England take drinks having broken the back of the run-chase in quite sensational style. Roy has now passed 50 in five of his six innings at this World Cup. England won all of the previous four. England need another 129 here.

1551 BST: Jason Roy 53* (50b, 7×4, 2×6, SR: 106.00)

1546 BST: England 80/0 (14 overs)
Flick-pull down to fine-leg brings four more for Roy, who then plays that shot that occasionally gets him in trouble when he drives on the up with no feet. Got him out against New Zealand, but this time lands short of Warner at mid-off.

1542 BST: England 76/0 (13 overs)
Yeah, Bairstow’s struggling here and is going to play some shots. Attempts something murderous over midwicket off Lyon and somehow manages to slice the ball in precisely the opposite direction. The ball then inevitably spins further and further away from the pursuing Cummins with every bounce and reaches the rope.

1540 BST: England 71/0 (12 overs)
The last two balls of the over pass without incident. Will be worth keeping an eye on Bairstow’s work between the wickets now, though.

1537 BST: He’s putting his pads back on, which we’ll take as good news.

1534 BST: England 71/0 (11.4 overs)
Massive worry here for England. After Cummins sends a bouncer sailing over everyone for five wides, Bairstow steers the ball to third-man and sets off for what looks a straightforward two. He gets them, but has hurt himself turning for the second run. Initially seemed like he’d turned his ankle, but it’s his groin that appears to be getting treated. I’m no medical man, but that’s not an ankle.

1528 BST: England 63/0 (11 overs)
Hecking Christ. Lyon’s first ball is unceremoniously pumped over the man who is stationed on the boundary at long-on. Outrageous batting. He’d have been absolutely crucified if he’d got out to that shot with the fielder back there. Not a small boundary that either. In case there were any lingering doubts that Roy intends to take Lyon on he then reverse-sweeps him hard for four more. There’s obviously risk attached here, but you can see what Roy’s thinking. If Lyon isn’t quite the last throw of the dice for Australia he’s something close to it. Smash him out of the attack and it’s a huge step towards sealing the win.

1525 BST: England 50/0 (10 overs)
The 50 is up for England inside 10 overs as Roy and Bairstow accumulate off Behrendorff. A Roy drive through the covers for two the most eye-catching shot of the lot, and this in-form opening pair have got England off to just the start they’d have wanted here.

1520 BST: England 44/0 (9 overs)
Another absolute Rashid of a shot from Roy, whipping Cummins through square-leg for four. Just a perfectly decent delivery to end a perfectly decent over. And it’s four runs like it’s nothing.

1515 BST: England 40/0 (8 overs)
Change of ends for Behrendorff as he swings round to replace Starc, who didn’t quite get it right in his new-ball spell. Big lbw shout against Roy but it’s pitched way outside leg. Bairstow hustles through for two for a nurdle into the legside and then pings a drive straight back past the bowler and almost into the stumps at the non-striker’s end. Was in the air as well, so there were two theoretical modes of dismissal had Behrendorff managed to somehow get something on it in his follow-through. Instead it races away for four.

1510 BST: England 33/0 (7 overs)
KP has spoken.

Meanwhile, Cummins is into the attack with a very decent first over. Looks set to be a maiden until Bairstow scurries through for two after mistiming a drive past cover.

1506 BST: England 31/0 (6 overs)
Big over for England. Bairstow starts it off by crunching a typically muscular cut shot through point as Starc drops short, and Roy finishes it with an outrageous wristy flip of a thing over long-leg for six. It was a length ball on middle-and-off and I have genuinely no idea how he’s got the ball there. It’s like if Adil Rashid, instead of being an entertaining and capable lower-order batsman was in fact one of the best opening batsmen in the world. Remarkable antics. England’s target below 200 now.

1501 BST: England 19/0 (5 overs)
Well England have avoided the Utter Calamity that has marked the starts to innings in these semi-finals thus far.

1457 BST: England 16/0 (4 overs)
Not news, but Roy really does make so much difference to this England side. Two glorious cover-drives off Starc rattle the boards, the first of them a particularly outrageous wristy thing, plus a clip through midwicket for two. The second one was a length ball and Roy held the pose until long after the ball had reached the boundary. Great swagger.

1453 BST: England 6/0 (3 overs)
Long delay before the over because there are open doors that need closing behind the bowler’s arm. Bairstow enormously dischuffed about the whole thing. We do eventually get back under way and it’s a fine over from Behrendorff – a maiden – in which four balls coming back in to Bairstow are followed by two pushed across him which both beat the outside edge. England will have to earn the right to play here, but they’d love to get a fast start from these two to dispel the nerves.

1446 BST: England 6/0 (2 overs)
Here comes Starc. You know what they say about these Mitchells. If they bat well they bowl well. Plus in World Cups he just always bowls well in World Cups. Just a wide swinging down the legside in that over as Roy opts shrewdly for watchful defence. Technique looking good for Roy there, who has to be a massive contender for the Ashes given England’s recent top-three woes in that format. No massive first-class pedigree to fall back on, but could he do any worse than the others they’ve tried? Probably not important right now.

1441 BST: England 5/0 (1 over)
Decent first over from Behrendorff. Roy off the mark with a toe-end down to third-man, and Bairstow crunches a drive through cover-point for the first boundary of the innings. Strangled lbw shout to end the over, but it looked pretty straight if it was pad first. No review, but replays show it definitely was pad first… but umpire’s call on the off stump.

1435 BST: Only break you get on shifts like this is between innings. So obviously I took the chance to have a screen break, maybe a wee, just taking a moment to gather my thoughts ahead of the run-chase and definitely didn’t spend it doing this.

1409 BST: Australia 223 (49 overs)
So England will need 224 to win. They’ve been bowled out for 212 and 221 batting second in this tournament…

WICKET! Jason Behrendorff b Wood 1 (4b, SR: 25.00)
Wood finishes off the innings with a perfect yorker swinging into the base of off stump at 90mph. It’s cleaning up plenty of better batsman than Behrendorff.

1404 BST: Australia 218/9 (48 overs)
Lyon and Behrendorff have to just get what they can here, and they get a single even though Behrendorff would have been out by a yard had Archer’s throw hit the target. For that run out earlier in the over I think Buttler has actually thrown the ball through Smith’s legs and into the stumps. Outrageous.

WICKET! Mitchell Starc c Buttler b Woakes 29 (36b, 1×4, 1×6, SR: 80.55)
Two wickets in two balls for England. Easier for Buttler this time as Starc aims something massive over the legside and edges through to the keeper.

WICKET! Steve Smith run out (Buttler) 85 (119b, 6×4, SR:71.42)
Brilliant bit of work from Buttler to end an innings from Smith that will be either an afterthought or a match-winner by the end of the day. In either case, it ends as an attempt to steal a single ends with Buttler swooping on the ball and throwing down the bowler’s end stumps with Smith inches short of his ground. I’d swear Buttler actually had to fade that throw around Smith to hit the stumps.

1357 BST: Australia 217/7 (47 overs)
Fifty partnership comes up, and Starc is batting beautifully. It’s Smith, if anything, starting to struggle. Starc knocks Wood cleverly into the legside a couple of times for scampered twos and you cannot escape the nagging feeling that we’ll be looking back on this as an absolutely critical spell of the game in a few hours’ time.

1353 BST: Australia 210/7 (46 overs)
Good comeback over from Woakes ends with a huge lbw appeal against Smith. Looks high, but England send it upstairs. Fair enough given there are only 24 balls left and it’s Smith. Closer than I first thought, actually, and it is in fact umpire’s call for height. So England still have their review.

1347 BST: Australia 206/7 (45 overs)
This is a very useful innings now from Starc, and this is a big over for Australia. Starc picks a slower ball from Plunkett and smacks it 82m over long-off for his first six. Couple of singles from the next two balls take Australia to 200, and a bouncer miles over Starc’s head takes them to 201. Smith hits the last ball of the over for four and this partnership is now worth 40 at decent pace. It’s already got the potential to be a hugely significant partnership and has brought 250 firmly back into the equation. As ever, Jofra knew.

1342 BST: Australia 192/7 (44 overs)
Always feel Starc should have scored more runs than he has in international cricket. He’s not an all-rounder but he’s firmly in the Bowler Who Can Bat category. He’s got a Test 99, and they don’t hand those out with your cap. Anyway, he’s just drilled Wood down the ground for four here in fabulous style.

1338 BST: Australia 186/7 (43 overs)
Tough for Smith and Starc here, with two proper tailenders to come. They’re doing the right thing and just getting what they can get without doing anything too outrageous. Has to be the way for even another four overs or more here. Smith does almost get himself in trouble running on a Root misfield at midwicket but was probably home safely even if the throw had hit the target.

In other news, Carey has had stitches in his chin and will keep wicket in the run-chase. Brave effort, that.

1334 BST: Australia 181/7 (42 overs)
It’s weird how this World Cup is in all our heads, isn’t it? Based on everything we’ve seen from England over the last four years Australia will have no chance here. Based on everything we’ve seen from England and everyone else in the last five weeks, 240 could make Australia favourites.

1330 BST: Australia 176/7 (41 overs)
Brilliant stuff from Plunkett. Just a single from the over as Starc struggles to get bat on ball. Also:

1326 BST: Australia 175/7 (40 overs)
It’s Wood back into the attack. He could bowl out the innings from here, which really does show the value of having six genuine bowling options as England do given two bowlers have bowled their full allocation.

1322 BST: Australia 171/7 (39 overs)
Archer is through his 10 overs with 2/32. Absolute stunning spell, and absolutely correct from Morgan to bowl him out early going for the jugular. There is nobody left for Australia who can hurt England in these closing overs the way Maxwell could have.

1318 BST: Australia 166/7 (38 overs)
Rashid ends his spell with two perfect googlies that slide past Starc’s outside edge. A spell of two halves from Rashid, there. Struggled in his early overs but right on it towards the end. The fact he took wickets with the googly – Cummins’ cut was also a googly – is so important as well. He hasn’t bowled many of them in this tournament as he battles a shoulder injury.

WICKET! Pat Cummins c Root b Rashid 6 (10b, SR: 60.00)
Three for Rashid! Really good catch this from Root at slip as Cummins slashes at a cut shot outside off and sends the ball scooting straight but quickly to Root.

1315 BST: Australia 165/6 (37 overs)
Yep, Archer bowls his ninth and almost gets his third wicket with another knuckle-ball as Cummins chips it back towards the bowler but just short. The fact Rashid is going to get through his 10 overs means England have the luxury of bowling Archer out and still having plenty of pace options in the closing overs. Wood still has six overs in the tank.

1311 BST: Australia 161/6 (36 overs)
Four singles from Rashid’s over. Will Morgan just bowl Archer out here in the hope of another killer wicket? Strong case for it. Don’t let Australia wriggle off the hook again.

1308 BST: In fact, they’ve just shown a replay from behind the bowler and it’s a genius bit of bowling. It’s a knuckle-ball so well disguised that it took four slo-mo replays to spot it.

1307 BST: Australia 157/6 (35 overs)
That might have stopped in the pitch a touch, but Maxwell had all his weight on the back foot waiting for/expecting another short ball from Archer. At the very least it’s partial credit to the bowler.

WICKET! Glenn Maxwell c Morgan b Archer 22 (23b, 2×4, 1×6, SR: 95.65)
Another massive moment in this game. Morgan gambles on burning up Archer’s eighth over but gets the wicket to justify it. First sign of the pitch actually misbehaving as well perhaps as Maxwell chips to cover with no footwork. Is the pitch slowing down? Every other pitch at this World Cup seems to have done so, but England won’t worry about that for a couple of hours or so. Big wicket, Maxwell can do so much damage in the closing overs.

1301 BST: Australia 152/5 (34 overs)
Maxwell rocks back to hammer a drag-down from Rashid over midwicket for a one-bounce four. Have to think this pitch is far easier to bat on than Old Trafford was, but Australia are going to get themselves at the very least to a total that asks questions England are yet to answer in this tournament. Fun.

1259 BST: Australia 144/5 (33 overs)
Good over from Archer, but it’s another of his potential death overs used up. Understandable tactic given how dangerous Maxwell will be if he’s still here in another five or six overs, but it’s a risk.

1253 BST: Australia 142/5 (32 overs)
Here comes Maxwell! Smacks Rashid over long-on for the first six of the day. Such a dangerous cricketer, but has Nasser has now pointed out on comms at least seven times since Maxwell came in, he often plays the shot of the day but Australia need him to play the innings of the day. Time for everyone to have a drink.

1250 BST: Australia 135/5 (31 overs)
Archer back to try and break this key partnership. Good battle between the fast bowler and Maxwell, who nails a short ball through midwicket for four but is then beaten when only tentatively forward by the full-ball follow-up. Another short ball has Maxwell ducking to end the over.

1245 BST: Australia 130/5 (30 overs)
Slip in for Maxwell, and he immediately edges the ball just wide of Root in there for a couple of streaky runs. Rashid has his confidence back and is bowling nicely now.

1242 BST: Australia 127/5 (29 overs)
Proof here of just how much easier cricket is once you’ve got in. Smith drives a half-volley from Stokes off the back foot, using his wrists at the last moment to manoeuvre the ball into the minuscule gap between extra-cover and mid-off. Good over for Australia after the double setback in the previous one. And Maxwell didn’t have to do anything. Yet.

1239 BST: Australia 118/5 (28 overs)
Australia’s recovery checked, and credit must go to Morgan for persevering with Rashid. He was struggling and getting picked off pretty easily before that over.

WICKET! Marcus Stoinis lbw b Rashid 0 (2b)
Two in the over for Rashid! This one is all down to the bowler, a perfectly pitched googly that Stoinis doesn’t pick. He’s back and across looking to cut and hit in front of off stump. Dharmasena raises the finger, and Stoinis has no review anyway. Two umpire’s call lights for impact and height, so a review wouldn’t have saved him anyway.

1235 BST: Steve Smith 50* (72b, 4×4, SR: 69.44)
A smile and a wave of the bat to meet the boos from the crowd.

WICKET! Alex Carey c sub (Vince) b Rashid 46 (70b, 4×4, SR: 65.71)
Huge wicket for England, and a bit of a gift from Carey. Just a flick really but it carries all the way to sub fielder Vince at deep midwicket. One of those where Carey will rue not going right through with the shot.

1232 BST: Australia 116/3 (27 overs)
Hundred partnership. Superb recovery job this. Standard from Smith, we know he’s got this in him. But Carey has been a revelation in this tournament, and the composure he’s shown throughout this innings after that sickening blow he took from Archer is admirable indeed.

1228 BST: Australia 113/3 (26 overs)
Carey belts a flat slog-sweep to the midwicket fence. Fearsome power, great placement. Rashid struggling.

1224 BST: Australia 103/3 (25 overs)
This is a very good recovery, you have to say. Maybe we should be less critical of England for sitting back and give more credit to this pair for fighting hard. They’re doing what Williamson and Taylor did for New Zealand, but at a better tempo and in a busier fashion. That said, this does look to be a better pitch than the one at Old Trafford. England’s start was exceptional. Good finish to this over from Plunkett after a couple of wides down the legside to the left-hander.

1220 BST: Australia 98/3 (24 overs)
England just letting this drift as New Zealand did when they had Australia in trouble. It’s not the right strategy. Definitely need to get Rashid off and one of the quicks back on. Nothing there for the spinner, who is just being picked off without risk or alarm.

1217 BST: Australia 92/3 (23 overs)
Picture-perfect cover-drive from Carey brings four as Plunkett overpitches before Smith sends a skewed drive towards point and just short of a diving Stokes. Reminiscent of Neesham yesterday, but it didn’t carry.

1213 BST: Australia 87/3 (22 overs)
Spin looking easier to handle than pace right now. Not much there for Rashid and unless someone does something silly like run past one he should be easy enough for these to pick off at five or six an over.

1209 BST: Australia 80/3 (21 overs)
Just a couple of singles from Plunkett’s over, but Smith and Carey looking settled now.

1205 BST: Australia 78/3 (20 overs)
Spin for the first time today as Rashid enters the attack. Decent first over, despite Carey getting four with a slightly unconvincing drive in the air just wide of cover.

1202 BST: Australia 72/3 (19 overs)
Smith looking really good now, hooking a fast ball from Wood into the gap behind square-leg to collect another boundary. Starting to come with regularity now.

1158 BST: Australia 66/3 (18 overs)
The 50 partnership comes up. Hugely needed for Australia, who will know that the history of this tournament tells them that anything around 250 is very competitive indeed.

1154 BST: Australia 62/3 (17 overs)
Things just getting easier now for this pair, although Carey must be in serious discomfort. Smith is well into his work, and gets a second quality boundary with a flashing cut shot behind point.

1149 BST: Australia 55/3 (16 overs)
Better over for Australia as Plunkett comes into the attack. Strangely, given the source of most of Plunkett’s success with the ball recently, he’s bowling too full here. Smith pings him down the ground for a glorious boundary, and Carey comes within a diving Roy’s fingertips of the same. That intervention from Roy saves a run, but he looks a bit ginger as he gets up. Hopefully no further twangage of that hamstring there.

1145 BST: Australia 47/3 (15 overs)
More controlled second over from Wood, but Smith and Carey have calmed things down after that astonishing start to the game. Time for drinks. The over-rate is appalling here, but no blame attached to anyone for that. We’ve had two lengthy delays for Carey’s treatment.

1140 BST: Australia 45/3 (14 overs)
First boundary for Smith, and a good one, pulling Stokes through midwicket with real authority. Got that miles in front of square to take the boundary man out of the equation. My medical assessment of Carey eight minutes ago was flawed, I fear. That’s why I’m doing this job rather than being one of the celebrated surgeons of the age. His face is swelling up and his eyes are black. Lucky for Australia they’ve brought Handscomb into the side because I can’t see Carey keeping wicket here.

1135 BST: Blimey, he’s got a lot of extra bandaging around his whole head now. His eyes are also blackening which suggests more damage to the jaw than initially thought.

Alex Carey bandage England Australia World Cup PA

1132 BST: More running repairs for Carey’s damaged chin after that over. Think it’s just to replace the dressing rather than anything more serious.

1130 BST: Australia 36/3 (13 overs)
Wood replaces Woakes, who is still involved with a superb stop on the boundary to save two runs from what looked a certain four. Stokes then saves three himself with a diving stop at backward point to prevent a Carey square-drive rattling into the fence. Couple of wides and a couple of beauties past the outside edge in a lengthy opening over for Wood.

1125 BST: Australia 29/3 (12 overs)
Stokes on as first change. Tidy start from the big angry fella.

1121 BST: Australia 28/3 (11 overs)
Woakes continues. Decent argument for bowling him straight through here. Much better bowler with the new ball than the old one. Bigger decision is how long to keep Archer going. One more at most, you’d think.

1117 BST: Australia 27/3 (10 overs)
Quieter over from Archer. Inevitably, really. Three singles from it, and Australia’s lowest Powerplay score of the tournament confirmed.

1113 BST: Australia 24/3 (9 overs)
Fair play to Carey. Miracle helmet catches, patched-up chin and now dreamy cover-drives as Woakes overpitches – understandably enough having just gone past the outside edge with another full delivery.

1110 BST: Carey will continue, his chin smothered in sticky plasters.

1106 BST: Australia 19/3 (8 overs)
Best shot for Australia since those two Warner boundaries off Woakes early doors as Carey punches Archer down the ground for three. Smith takes a quick single that might have been a touch dicey had Morgan’s throw been on the mark. OOF. A ferocious bouncer from Archer to end the over gets under Carey’s helmet and whacks him on the chin. Draws blood and knocks the helmet off. Carey does brilliantly in fact to catch his helmet as it falls; could easily have gone into the stumps. Incredible awareness considering he’d just been smashed full in the face by a hard ball at 90mph. Never mind your Stokeses or your Cottrells or your Guptills or your Neeshams. That’s the catch of the tournament. Unbelievable. Don’t know if it would have gone back on to the stumps or not, but just to have the presence of mind in that moment to catch that helmet as it falls is extraordinary. Going to be a long delay here while Australia’s keeper gets some treatment. He’ll need a big plaster at the very least and, presumably, concussion tests.

1101 BST: Australia 15/3 (7 overs)
Alex Carey – Australia’s form batsman outside the openers in this tournament – is promoted to number five. Good luck. Outside edge first ball, but it drops well short of slip and gets him off the mark with a single.

WICKET! Peter Handscomb b Woakes 4 (12b, SR: 33.33)
A troubled innings from Handscomb comes to an end. Stuck on the crease, as he often is, and a loose drive finds the inside edge before comprehensively rearranging his stumps. England in dreamland.

1056 BST: Australia 14/2 (6 overs)
This is magnificent stuff from Archer. His stock ball to the right-hander nips back – see Finch’s dismissal – but twice he gets the ball to just move away and beat Handscomb’s outside edge. Just a single from the over.

1053 BST: Australia 13/2 (5 overs)
Another huge lbw appeal from Woakes against Handscomb, but he’s got a sliver of inside edge on this one. It was plumb otherwise. Umpire Erasmus spotted it, and so too did Jos Buttler whose counsel holds sway with Morgan over Woakes’ when it comes to the review. Erasmus, Buttler and Morgan all very correct.

1049 BST: Australia 12/2 (4 overs)
Handscomb gets a single from the first ball of Archer’s over before Smith has to survive a real going over. Great contest. Last ball of the over is a perfect bouncer that Smith plays superbly, considering the hook before opting to sway.

1046 BST: Australia 11/2 (3 overs)
Huge lbw appeal first ball against Peter Handscomb, but Marais Erasmus says no. England opt for a review, but it’s umpire’s call for height. Massive moment.

WICKET! David Warner c Bairstow b Woakes 9 (11b, 2×4, SR: 81.81)
Both Aussie openers gone! Dream start for England. Extra bounce from Woakes surprises Warner, who can only fence it to first slip where Bairstow takes the catch above his head. “Cheerio, cheerio, cheerio” chorus the Edgbaston crowd. This one definitely feels like an England home game. Warner had just popped Woakes straight back over his head for four as well.

1039 BST: Australia 6/1 (2 overs)
Warner and Smith batting together now. We are drenched in narrative. What a start for England, though. Aaron Finch has seven ODI centuries against the old enemy, including one at Lord’s a fortnight ago. That was a horror review from Finch as well. He hit his pad with his bat and I can only think he thought/hoped/dared to dream he’d made some contact with the ball. Actually missed it by a fair way.

WICKET! Aaron Finch lbw b Archer 0 (1b)
Archer strikes first ball! Nip-backer that raps Finch on the knee-roll, and Kumar Dharmasena raises the finger. Only doubt there is surely whether it was bat or pad first. Finch reviews, but in slo-mo it’s clearly pad first and ball-tracking is a formality here. Finch goes, and takes Australia’s only review with him…

Aaron Finch England Australia World Cup PA

1034 BST: Australia 4/0 (1 over)
Floaty drive ball first ball from Chris Woakes, and Warner creams it to the boundary. You often see bowlers over-correct after getting the length wrong the previous ball. You don’t often see bowlers over-correct after getting the length wrong two weeks ago. Drags it back to a good length for the next three, which are, in order, left and then find the inside and outside half of Warner’s bat as he defends. Another leave and defensive to end the over. Woakes dragged both the over and his length back well there.

1027 BST: Edgbaston only half-full as people try to get into the ground, which means lots of people have missed their opportunity to boo David Warner to the crease. Those who are here, though, took that chance eagerly.

1026 BST: The anthems are done. You know my views on the anthems – especially these two – by now. Let’s just enjoy the cricket. And by ‘enjoy’ I obviously mean ‘watch through your fingers while feeling sick and eating milk chocolate Hob-Nobs three at a time’.

1017 BST: You’re still thinking about the bad news, aren’t you?

1012 BST: Fresh pitch for this game, and it’s central. No short boundary today. I think it’s right next door to the pitch that will be used for the first Ashes Test in three weeks’ time.

1004 BST: England are unchanged, Australia – after all the chat – have made just the one enforced change as Peter Handscomb replaces the injured Usman Khawaja. Steve Smith moves up to number three.

1001 BST: Australia win the toss and choose to win bat. Been a nice run for England. Good luck to Australia in the final.

0955 BST: Five minutes to the toss. Both teams are six from six when batting first so far in this tournament…

0940 BST: A year to the day…

0935 BST: Save me, Jebus.

0930 BST: Not sure about Jofra’s Plan B tbh.

0922 BST: Bad news, guys. Australia’s players have turned up. Guess we’re back to Boycott’s “win the toss and score all the runs” Plan B.

0920 BST: Even if Australia do turn up, Boycott has pinned down exactly how England can win. Let’s hope Eoin and the lads are listening, eh?

0915 BST: The England players have arrived, so that’s good. Maybe Australia won’t turn up and England will win by default? Could that happen? Could it? COULD IT?

0912 BST: Remember, if England win today Sky Sports will make Sunday’s final available free-to-air. A welcome move, says John Nicholson, but why now?

0908 BST: First point of business as we try to keep our breakfast down is to confirm that the weather forecasts predicting horrendous rain and washouts were absolute tish and fipsy. It’s glorious in Birmingham as it always is, and we’ll get a full game in today. None of this two-day international nonsense that your New Zealands and your Indias are into these days. Proper cricket, 50 overs a side and all in one day. Cricket the way nature intended.

0900 BST: Oh God. Oh bloody hell. It’s here. England are in a men’s Cricket World Cup semi-final for the first time in 27 years. For the first time since 22 from 1 ball. And of course it’s against Australia, who have played about 739 World Cup semi-finals in that time. It is at Edgbaston, though, where Australia never won and England generally do. England are also a better team. Australia also have injury problems. Australia have also already beaten England twice this summer. Oh God, oh God, oh God.

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