England eyeing special semi-final against India
👉Get trending sports news here
Finals bring glory, but it's the semi-finals where England have truly looked at their best.
In the era of England's white-ball revival, the dates of 11 July 2019 and 10 November 2022 stand out.
Although the World Cup trophy was won a few days later in both matches, these were two of the most perfect limited-overs performances in recent memory and perhaps in England's history.
The first was beating Australia by eight wickets to reach the 50-over final of the 2019 World Cup.
The second was a glorious night in Adelaide where England beat a partisan crowd to beat India by 10 wickets to reach the T20 World Cup final. On Thursday, defending champions England will return to Guyana, the cricketing enclave on South American soil, for the first time in 14 years to face India again in the latest semi-final.
England have been far from clear favourites in either match so far, but they could turn the tide.
Australia had convincingly beaten Eoin Morgan's team at Lord's two weeks ago. Before facing India in 2022, the possibility of facing Pakistan in an all-Asian final had already been discussed.
It's not the proverbial rollercoaster, but England have experienced the ups and downs of the Caribbean in this tournament and are again the second favourites in the head-to-head match.
They were on the brink of elimination in the first round but, with help from their Ashes rivals, managed to beat Scotland with a narrow margin.
Wins over Oman, Namibia and the USA have given them momentum and a good feeling, but how good is this England team?
The West Indies are the only Test nation to have won on their way to the last four, albeit in impressive form.
This semi-final will provide the answer to that question.
In contrast, India won easily amid the hustle and bustle of the Big Apple. They were installed in the heart of New York as a classic example of cricket's push into the US, and developed without much fuss.
After arriving in the Caribbean, they continued their journey without a care in the world, but have not really been tested since their narrow win over Pakistan.
The win against Australia on Sunday was menacing, with captain Rohit Sharma back in form with 92 off 41 balls. On the flight home, one might ask Josh Hazlewood whether it was in Australia's "best interests" to allow the Indian captain to hit eight sixes.
The great Virat Kohli has reached double figures just twice in this tournament, with a highest score of 37. The worry for England is that he won't be able to stay calm for much longer.
Because the tournament was designed for Indian television, India go into this match with the advantage of knowing they would be heading to Guyana in the semi-finals from the moment the draw was announced.
England were confirmed as second in their group on Sunday night, but only confirmed their destination on Tuesday morning.
There will be few English-language media or fans in Georgetown, as hotels and flights are as rare as Jasprit Bumrah's long hop.
India fielded a team of four spinners in May, knowing a semi-final on one of the slowest pitches in the tournament awaited them. Kuldeep Yadav has never played on a US seamer-friendly pitch, and neither has Yuzvendra Chahal.
One will definitely play, and maybe two, because wrist spinners are by far the most effective option at Providence Stadium.
England might be tempted to give a debut to replacement spinner Tom Hartley, who bowled a long throw before Sunday's match against the USA.
