Australia prepare to strike final blow on old foes England

Australia can deliver the final blow to old enemy Englands dismal ICC World Cup 2023 campaign on Saturday with memories of their acrimonious Ashes series still fresh Jos Buttlers defending champions sit rock bottom of the 10nation group with one win in six games requiring a mathematical miracle to squeeze into the semifinals On Saturday they face an Australian team who come into the game at the worlds biggest cricket stadium in Ahmedabad with four straight wins However the fivetime winners will be without two key players in Glenn Maxwell and Mitchell Marsh Englands most recent loss was a 100run thrashing at the hands of unbeaten India in Lucknow where coach Matthew Mott faced down questions over the teams brittle batting lineup and claims of dressing room unrest Opening batsman Dawid Malan slammed reports of Mott who had conceded the World Cup campaign was over for the 2019 champions losing the confidence of the players Motty is not the one walking out on the field Malan told BBC As players we need to take responsibility when we cross that rope We are being given everything we need to perform The facilities and work everything is being done as it always has been He added It is really hard to sum up We just cant seem to get anything going at the moment or any rhythm or momentum Were not used to being in that position Englands only win so far was against Bangladesh They lost to Afghanistan while in their last two games their batting folded for 156 against Sri Lanka and then 129 India Defeat to Australia will not only knock them out of contention for a semifinal spot but also put them in danger of missing the 2025 Champions TrophyEngland must finish in the top seven places to qualify for the 50over tournament in Pakistan Im pretty sure Ill be done for that but Id love the guys to play in that the 36yearold Malan said Hopefully we can find the momentum and finish the World Cup on a highAlso ReadOne step behindThe two fierce rivals played out an exhilarating and often bitter Ashes this year with the fivematch Test series ending 22 Australia hold the aces in the 50over format with 87 wins over England in 155 matches and in nine World Cup meetings the Aussies remain 63 ahead But when they met in the 2019 World Cup semifinals England triumphed and went on to win their maiden World Cup Australia started this World Cup with two losses but bounced back and are fresh from their record 309run hammering of the Netherlands last week But the former champions have been dealt two blows after Maxwell fell off a golf buggy and suffered concussion while Marsh has left for home due to personal reasons Maxwell blasted the fastest World Cup century off just 40 balls to tear into the Dutch attack in New Delhi His omission paves the way for Marcus Stoinis to return Marsh has amassed 225 runs including a classy 121 in a 259run opening partnership with David Warner against Pakistan Coach Andrew McDonald said Maxwells injury does leave them a fraction exposed at the back end but Stoinis does become available Cameron Green also comes into the picture for the allimportant match with Marshs place up for grabs Marnus Labuschagne is expected to retain his place despite his 18 in the teams previous win a thrilling lastball finish in Dharamsala over New Zealand The middleorder batsman said England remain a dangerous team and lets not get sucked into how theyre performing Australia led by Pat Cummins are currently in third spot and wellplaced to reach the semifinals after winning four gamesWith inputs from agencies