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Joe Root will go into the World Cup clash against Australia with an unequivocal message for England’s struggling cricketers: don’t let this lot knock us out.
Games between the teams have never needed extra context to get the juices flowing. But a combination of last summer’s ‘Moral Ashes’, the recent sight of Australian captain Pat Cummins unable to stifle a grin when asked about England’s plight, and the prospect of the old enemy driving the final nail into the Poms’ coffin has made defeat unthinkable.
England, of course, are already clinging on to their title by the thinnest of threads after five defeats in their first six games.
And they could yet be knocked out before their match with Australia on Saturday is over - though that would need Afghanistan to beat the Netherlands on Friday, and New Zealand to see off Pakistan in Saturday’s earlier match.
But England still have Champions Trophy qualification to play for, which will require a top-eight finish.
Joe Root says England still have plenty to play for in their final three matches at the World Cup
Australian captain Pat Cummins was unable to stifle a grin when asked about England’s plight
Above all, perhaps, there is the question of pride, as
