A lot has changed in the seven years since England last played a World Cup match in Adelaide.
Back in 2015, they were largely useless at white-ball cricket, emphasised by a group-stage exit at the 50-over World Cup being confirmed with a 15-run defeat by Bangladesh in South Australia.
But England head to the aesthetic Adelaide Oval for Thursday’s T20 World Cup semi-final against India – build-up from 7am on Sky Sports Cricket ahead of an 8am start – as a side to be reckoned with, perhaps one even to be feared. Since that meek surrender against Bangladesh, there has been a white-ball revolution.
The final of the 2016 T20 World Cup. The semi-finals of the 2017 Champions Trophy. Winners of the 2019 50-over World Cup. Semi-finalists in last year’s T20 World Cup. The timidity of 2015 has since been replaced by a ‘go harder’ approach and yielded results.
“We’ve actually just been talking about that (Bangladesh game) in the dressing room,” said captain Jos Buttler, whose 65 from 52 deliveries against the Tigers seven years ago came in vain as England were dismissed for 260 in a chase of 276.