England’s Joe Root isn’t bothered by Australia’s taunts ahead of their Men’s Cricket World Cup semi-final, insisting that his team is focussed ahead of the Birmingham clash.
“It’s just part and parcel of when you play against Australia,” Root told reporters in Birmingham. “That’s how they like to prepare themselves, get themselves ready and we will go about it in our own way.”
Straight after Australia’s loss to South Africa in their final league game, Nathan Lyon kickstarted the mind games ahead of the semis clash on Thursday. Lyon cheekily pointed out that England have the additional pressure of heading into the semi-final clash as the tournament’s favourites.
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“It’s their World Cup to lose, if you ask me. We have nothing to lose, we only have stuff to gain,” Lyon said. “I think they are full of world-class players, they’ve been the No.1 team now for a couple of years. They should be going into this World Cup as favourites. It’s all on them.”
Root, who is currently England’s leading run-scorer with 500 runs, stated that his primary focus stays on doing well in the semi-finals, their first one since 1992.
“I can’t speak on behalf of anyone else, but it doesn’t [bother] me. It is what it is. That is what they want to do to get themselves ready and we will focus on ourselves.
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Nathan Lyon had kickstarted the mind games ahead of the semis, calling it England’s World Cup to lose[/caption]
“I try not to get too involved to be honest. I think there have been times within games when it has got a bit spicy and there have been a few exchanges on the field.”
Australia have been notorious for indulging in mind games ahead of high-intensity clashes, where former players add to the pressure with their pre-tournament predictions. “It has happened for years. Look back at when McGrath played and five-nil [predictions],” Root added.
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Lyon has, in the past, tried to get under England’s skin with his pre-match tactics. Ahead of the 2017/18 Ashes, Lyon proclaimed that “there’s a lot of scars for the English guys”, referencing Australia’s intimidating pace battery. Root said that he’s completely aware of Lyon’s old habit.
“Nathan has a lot to say a lot of the time, so for me you just take it with a pinch of salt. It might be a way of taking pressure off himself and his team. We know what we need to do to perform well. If that clicks, we will be a force to play against.”
