England’s cricketers promise their best is yet to come at the World Cup

Much more will be needed when they meet India on Thursday in the semi-finals, writes Ben Burrows

There’s no better time, then, for England to find their own groove at last (PA)

England are two games from winning a World Cup – but with performances some way below what was expected, there remains plenty to do.

Billed as one of the tournament favourites ahead of the trip to Australia, all eyes were on Jos Buttler’s side to deliver a statement that they were indeed one of the teams to beat. But in a wildly up and down Super 12 stage they have failed to do so, with wins over Afghanistan, New Zealand and, most recently this weekend, Sri Lanka – only serving to highlight a team that are yet to fire on all cylinders.

While no doubt taking solace in the fact that old rivals Australia are now out, much more will be needed when they meet India on Thursday in the semi-finals, a fact not lost on one of their most experienced players. “I don’t think we’ve played that well in the whole tournament. But we got the job done. We wanted to get to the semis,” said all-rounder Moeen Ali.