Australia
vs
England
Match Schedule:
Date: October 2nd D/N
Time:12:30 (GMT)
After battling it out all summer, England and Australia will go head-to-head once more when they clash in the Champions Trophy semi-final at SuperSport Park on Friday.
In a case of England vs Australia: Round Eight, the two teams who slugged it out during the seven-match NatWest series now face off for a spot in the final of a serious competition.
While the opposition may be familiar, Australian captain Ricky Ponting admits it will be a very different game this time around.
"We're not quite sure what we're going to get conditions wise but you can probably guarantee they'll be very different to the conditions we had in England," explained Ponting.
The Australians will be buoyed by their comprehensive six-one hammering of the English during the recent one-day series, and while some elements may have changed Ponting concedes his team are in the better position heading into the game.
"Although it is a case of wiping the slate clean because the semi-final will be played in different conditions and there have been personnel changes, I would much rather have won that series 6-1 than lost it 6-1," he said.
"It means we played very well against them, we've played a lot against them in the last month and we know their strengths and weaknesses. Hopefully, we'll be able to exploit that," the skipper added.
In a remarkable turn of fortune, the Three Lions team that looked horribly mediocre in England have enjoyed an excellent run of form in South Africa, claiming the scalps of the hosts and Sri Lanka.
The fast bowling duo of James Anderson and Stuart Broad have made life extremely difficult for the opposition of late, with Anderson particularly impressive on the Centurion track in the clash with South Africa.
Despite the return to form of England's key men, Ponting is confident his charges have the know-how and the talent to come out on top.
"Anderson and Broad are probably hitting their straps at the right time in a tournament like this," explained Ponting.
"But there will be no excuses from us; we've played against them a lot over the last couple of months so we should have an idea of what they're capable of. All our batsman are looking in good touch so it's just a case of knuckling down and making some good scores hopefully in the next two games.
"We've played well against England in the last few weeks, England have played well at the start of this tournament so I think it will be another good game of one-day cricket between two pretty good sides."
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