England v Australia: A potted World Cup history

England have beaten the five-time champions just twice in eight tournament meetings, and not once in the last 27 years

England and Australia. In rivalry terms, it is as fierce as they come. A contest that has its roots in an entirely different time, well over a century ago.

Thursday marks the latest instalment in a peerless enmity. They have already met once in this tournament, when Justin Langer’s side roared past Eoin Morgan’s shellshocked Lions. It was just the latest in a long line of Australia’s World Cup successes.

England have overawed the five-time champions just twice in eight tournament meetings, and not once in the last 27 years.

In the inaugural World Cup of 1975, England lost almost chiefly at the hands of the relatively unheralded Gary Gilmour. Among Australia’s posse of superstar seamers – the rapid pair of Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson, Gilmour was not so much a weak link as a more unusual option.

Unused in the tournament until the semi-final against the hosts, he took six for 14 in 12 overs as England were bowled out for 93 at Headingley. With Australia 39 for six, he struck an unbeaten 28 at a run a ball to lead his side to victory.

Four years later, England got their own back as the 1979 competition touched down at Lord’s. A star-studded lineup – Mike Brearley, Geoff Boycott, Graham Gooch, David Gower, Ian Botham, Bob Willis.

After restricting Australia to just 159 in 60 overs, Brearley’s team knocked the runs off with 13 overs to spare. Four decades later, England have enjoyed that winning feeling just once more in World Cup cricket against the Aussies.

^{Andy Bichel took seven for 20 against England at the 2003 World Cup}

Perhaps, what came next will be forever remembered as English one-day cricket’s most devastating ebb. The scene was Eden Gardens, a 100,000-strong capacity packed to the hilt for the final of the sport’s flagship event.

England were cruising. Absolutely cruising. And then the reverse-sweep happened. It has never been forgotten; Mike Gatting has never been allowed to forget it. Allan Border brought himself on to bowl and Gatting, England’s talisman, went to put his opposite number in his place.

His stroke – then viewed as a gamble, despite Gatting’s usual proficiency with the shot – found the hands of Greg Dyer. England didn’t collapse from there, but they lost momentum. A breeze became a struggle. They ended seven runs short – still the lowest margin of defeat in a World Cup final.

Five years later, it was England’s turn again to claim victory. Of course, this was the last time they managed such a feat in a World Cup. It was Botham’s day – as it was so often.

Having run through Australia’s middle and lower order, taking care of Border and Ian Healy along the way, he would combine with Gooch to demoralise Australia’s bowling attack. The pair put on 107 in reply at the top of the order, as England chased down 171 with total ease. Since then, it has been one-way traffic. While both nations have traded Ashes series since 2005, World Cup meetings have been frightfully one-sided.

The great Australian juggernaut began to drive in full flow just as England’s one-day struggles reached their peak. In 2003, much like when Gilmour did for England 28 years previously, it would be another unheralded Aussie would prove Nasser Hussain’s side undoing.

A fast start by Marcus Trescothick and Nick Knight was undone by Andy Bichel. Ten overs later, he would have run through England. Figures of seven for 20 would haunt England as, in the second part of a homage to Gilmour, Bichel would strike an unbeaten 35 to lead Australia home. Coming in at 135 for eight, he and Michael Bevan put on 73 in just 12 overs, with only Glenn McGrath left in the hutch for his team.

^{James Taylor played a lone hand for England in defeat during the 2015 tournament}

In 2007, it was more of the same. One of the great one-day teams, led by Ricky Ponting, simply had too much for England. Kevin Pietersen struck a hundred, while Ian Bell added 77. Those two apart, however, it was a deeply one-sided affair. One to forget for England fans.

The pair’s meeting in 2015 was no less chastening for England’s traveling Barmy Army. At the MCG, Australia hammered their way to 342 from their 50 overs. It was the kind of display that will have influenced Eoin Morgan’s white-ball revolution.

Steven Finn took five expensive wickets, adding a hat-trick at the end of the innings. Although James Taylor struck 98 in response, England finished well short. It was an occasion that highlighted quite how far the two teams were from each other in white-ball cricket.

Such is Australia’s stranglehold over England in World Cups, this year’s group-stage instalment may well stand as the most one-sided of the lot. First Finch and David Warner, then Mitchell Starc and the dream selection of Jason Behrendorff.

A left-field pick, the seamer swung his way through James Vince’s defences, before taking four more scalps en route to a memorable five-wicket haul.

It all means that England won just two of their World Cup meetings, and none since 1992. Eoin Morgan has already stated that none of this matters to his England team. Indeed, few were born during the crux of Australia’s dominance.

They have the chance to write their own history in Birmingham. More than this Australia outfit, however, they will be up against history and tradition. Australia know how to win World Cups.

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