While Australia lost their last league game against South Africa, England will walk into the semis high on confidence after winning their last two matches. The defending champions have been inflicted a huge blow as Usman Khawaja has been ruled out of the World Cup with a hamstring injury. Shaun Marsh had been ruled out earlier. However, despite the concerns, Australia are one of the top teams and have fared well in the edition, with seven wins from nine games, including a win over England in the league stage.
Weather and Pitch Conditions: The track at Edgbaston will assist the seamers, and a score of around 280 will be a par score. Runs on the board always puts the chasing team under pressure, and the captain that wins the toss should have no hesitation in batting first.
Player Recommendations:
Wicket-keeper: Alex Carey (8.5 credits)
At only 8.5 credits, Alex Carey is a steal. He averages 65.80 in the World Cup, scoring 329 runs in eight innings thus far. He also has three fifties to his name, and has played crucial knocks whenever his team has been in a pressure situation, including 71 and 85 in his last two innings. He costs less than England's Jos Buttler and can be a key member of the Fantasy line-up.
Batsman: David Warner (11 credits)
Warner does cost 11 credits, but his current form makes him a must-have. He has been on fire ever since his comeback after a year's ban. He
While Australia lost their last league game against South Africa, England will walk into the semis high on confidence after winning their last two matches. The defending champions have been inflicted a huge blow as Usman Khawaja has been ruled out of the World Cup with a hamstring injury. Shaun Marsh had been ruled out earlier. However, despite the concerns, Australia are one of the top teams and have fared well in the edition, with seven wins from nine games, including a win over England in the league stage.
Weather and Pitch Conditions: The track at Edgbaston will assist the seamers, and a score of around 280 will be a par score. Runs on the board always puts the chasing team under pressure, and the captain that wins the toss should have no hesitation in batting first.
Player Recommendations:
Wicket-keeper: Alex Carey (8.5 credits)
At only 8.5 credits, Alex Carey is a steal. He averages 65.80 in the World Cup, scoring 329 runs in eight innings thus far. He also has three fifties to his name, and has played crucial knocks whenever his team has been in a pressure situation, including 71 and 85 in his last two innings. He costs less than England's Jos Buttler and can be a key member of the Fantasy line-up.
Batsman: David Warner (11 credits)
Warner does cost 11 credits, but his current form makes him a must-have. He has been on fire ever since his comeback after a year's ban. He ended as the highest run-scorer in the IPL, and currently is on second spot in the list in the World Cup with 638 runs. He scored a hundred in the last game, and will be eager to carry his form forward in the semis as well.
All-rounder: Ben Stokes (9.5 credits)
Stokes has been the only all-rounder who has been consistent from either side in the World Cup. He has pitched in with both bat and ball—scoring 381 runs thus far along with seven wickets. He has also latched on to some spectacular catches, which ensures that he is a player who can fetch points in all departments. He has 348 Fantasy points so far in the edition, and becomes a player who should not be ignored.
Bowler: Mitchell Starc (9.5 credits)
The left-arm seamer is likely to end as the tournament's leading wicket-taker. He already has 26 to his name at an economy rate of just over 5. He had troubled his Ashes rivals in the league stage, as he ended with figures of 4 for 43. With the conditions here likely to assist the seamers, Starc could be the game-changer.
Captain: David Warner
Vice-captain: Ben Stokes
Predicted Playing XI:
England: Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan (c), Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler (wk), Chris Woakes, Liam Plunkett, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood
Australia: David Warner, Aaron Finch (c), Steve Smith, Peter Handscomb, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Jason Behrendorff, Nathan Lyon
