It is a day of the game, and yet, going to the Gaddafi stadium in Lahore when Australia or England is on the way may be impossible. Presidential style chaperons The sides between the hotel and the newly rebuilt land. The ticket office website and the resale location were overwhelmed as soon as the tickets for this competition were published, then once again when other tickets were made available.
A car arrived at the door, a kilometer from the entrance to the stadium itself. A police officer had a long bay in the windshield and shook his head. “Bad type of sticker,” he said firmly. “You can’t get here, not to mention park here.” In Pakistan, this game is a big problem, bigger than probably for any other part of this tournament.
“I think it’s unimportant, really,” Smith said on Friday. “This is another event. You have to be focused on this first game. During our last World Cup, we were a little slow to start. We were really under the pump. And then we brought our best cricket back to the tournament, which you need in the World Cup.
“The trophies of the champions are very different. You can’t be slow to start. You must go directly to your work from the start. This is our message to the group and the guys are delighted to start tomorrow night against England here. »»
Back as Australian captain in an incredible redemptor arc, victory here can be another little silverware for an Australian Trophy cabinet, but bringing his side to it would be a high career point for the man he- even.
“I’m quite relaxed,” said Smith. “There is always pressure when you play in international events and major tournaments. It is clear that we obviously miss some of our fast cannon quisors, but we do not worry. We think of what we have here and the opportunity of these guys.
“There are quality players in this play who play in almost their first major event, I suppose, that they are looking forward to and I look forward to it. It’s going to be great to see them under pressure against quality opposition, and it will be an exciting period for us. »»
England may not be the terrifying opposition they were in this format between 2015 and 2019, the team that blitzé Australia has what remains their only defeat in the semi-final of the Cup of the world. However, this offers an indication of what each party expects from the team they bring to this tournament that England has announced its departure XI – specific shot positions and all – almost two full days of the game, While Australia wants as much information as possible.
“We are quite clear where we are in a way heading,” said Smith, somewhat convincingly. “But we will call him (the team) to the draw tomorrow. I need to take a look at the surface when we also have an opportunity. We are quite clear where we want to go, but we will name it tomorrow.
Smith was struck in the box in the nets on Friday, but was allowed to face England after an initial discomfort. He missed a training session earlier in the week by the disease and said that he had not yet looked at the surface when he spoke to the media.
“England is a large part,” said Smith. “They have been a very good white ball team for a long time and we can’t wait to start our campaign against them tomorrow. Hopefully it is a bigger game. “
But, as each side of this tournament knows it well, there are only few debates to have on the technical points finer and weakness on an Australian part in these circumstances. Like Real Madrid in the football champions League, all that sometimes has is that browsing the DNA of this particular unity is an old wisdom received from generations, the one that illuminates the path of glory in the ‘ICC event after the ICC event.
No wonder, then, that Smith, that Destiny seems to have played in the role of the main Australian character against England, is so relaxed.