Eoin Morgan will lead his side against India for the right to play Australia in the tri-series final.
© AFP
Perth: England captain Eoin Morgan upped the ante ahead of his side's tri-series clash with India, saying a win in Friday's virtual semifinal will build up momentum ahead of the World Cup.(Morgan Credits IPL for his Success)
The two sides meet in a must-win game here after India's match against Australia was washed out in Sydney on Monday. The winners will move to the final to take on the hosts on Sunday, also in Perth.
The pitch at WACA is known to be quick, quite different from any other grounds in Australia. England's pacers enjoyed the bounce at the Gabba in Brisbane against the Indian batsmen and will be looking to do the same in Perth as well.(Tri-Series: Full Coverage)
"The guys are in high spirits. Yes, we did take a lot of confidence from that game and I think that performance has been a long time coming. We've put in a lot of work over the last year or so with very little reward," said the skipper.
"So an individual performance like Steven Finn put in was brilliant. Since then Ian Bell has put in a fantastic performance (against Australia) so things are starting to come together and I think a win tomorrow would give us huge confidence and build momentum for us ahead of the World Cup," he added.
Morgan reiterated that a big game awaits the English side.
"I think it is important to win this game given the lack of success we've had before this tour.
"We've built a confidence in our preparation, in the game in Brisbane and in performances leading into the start of this series. So as momentum and confidence goes I think it's quite a big game.
"It's vitally important we adapt to conditions tomorrow. It's going to be a little bit different to everywhere we do play on this tour. But the guys are really looking forward to it. It's a place where you come and play and really look forward to it - one of those iconic grounds where you want to do well," Morgan said.
England have done well since the change in leadership saw Alastair Cook replaced by Morgan as their ODI captain. They have beaten India by a huge nine-wicket margin in Brisbane, and ran Australia close in their second league game at Hobart.
"The opportunity to play in a final against Australia on Sunday is huge. But we'll have to play some high-quality cricket to get past India first," said Morgan.
When asked if his side will want to take advantage of India's fatigue after a long tour, he replied, "I don't sense that at all. I think India are a very dangerous side. Right down their line-up they do have match-winners, experience and they've some young, exciting players. So we won't take them for granted."
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