The Latest: Plane flies new protest banner at cricket game

By Associated Press 12 July 2019, 12:00AM

LONDON (AP) — The Latest on the Cricket World Cup (all times local):

2:15 p.m.

A small plane has again appeared over Edgbaston, this time carrying a different banner.

Earlier, a plane circled the semifinal between Australia and England five times while trailing a protest banner. That message read, "World must speak up for Balochistan," a province in Pakistan.

This time the banner said, "Help end disappearances in Pakistan."

The plane appeared after the end of Australia's innings.

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2:10 p.m.

England needs 224 runs to beat Australia and reach its first Cricket World Cup final since 1992.

Only Steve Smith, with 85 off 119 balls, offered any real resistance for the Australians as they were dismissed for 223 in 49 overs in the second semifinal at Edgbaston.

New Zealand awaits the winner at Lord's on Sunday. The Blacks Caps successfully defended 239-8 in the first semifinal against India.

Australia hasn't lost any of its seven World Cup semifinals.

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1:30 p.m.

Steve Smith was offering Australia's only real hope of getting a competitive total against England in their semifinal, with the defending champions reaching the 40-over mark on 175-7.

Smith was 73, and was in the middle with Mitchell Starc (4) heading into the final 10 overs.

Legspinner Adil Rashid took 3-54 off his 10 overs, his last wicket being that of Pat Cummins (6), who edged to Joe Root at slip.

That came after Jofra Archer removed Glenn Maxwell for 22 with a slow ball, Eoin Morgan taking a simple catch at cover.

Archer took 2-32 off 10 overs.

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1 p.m.

A small plane has circled the semifinal between Australia and England five times while trailing a protest banner in the skies of Birmingham.

The banner read, "World must speak up for Balochistan," a province in Pakistan.

Play continued as normal.

A plane flew political banners over two group matches in Leeds.

During the India-Sri Lanka match, a plane towed banners reading, "Justice for Kashmir," and "India stop genocide & free Kashmir." Before that, during the Pakistan-Afganistan match, a banner was towed also about Balochistan.

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12:45 p.m.

Adil Rashid has seized back the initiative for England by taking two wickets in five balls, removing Alex Carey and Marcus Stoinis.

Carey fell for 46 when he holed out to sub fielder James Vince in the deep. It ended a partnership of 103 for the fourth wicket with Steve Smith.

Off the last ball of Rashid's fifth over, Stoinis didn't pick a googly and was trapped in front of his wickets for a second-ball duck.

Australia was 130-5 after 30 overs and Smith was on 59. He reached his 50 off 72 balls and the half-century was greeted with jeers around Edgbaston.

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12:25 p.m.

Australia is 103-3 and rebuilding through Steve Smith (44) and Alex Carey (38) halfway through its allotted 50 overs against England in the second semifinal in Birmingham.

They have put on 89 for the fourth wicket after coming together at 14-3.

Carey is batting with a bandage around his jaw and head after being struck on the helmet by a delivery from Jofra Archer when on 4 not out. He has received treatment twice by medical staff, with blood seeping through the bandage.

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11:20 a.m.

Australia is 27-3 after 10 overs and its batsmen are being shaken up by England's bowling.

Alex Carey, who has come in up the order after the departure of Peter Handscomb for 4, required medical treatment on his jaw after being struck in the head by a rising delivery from Jofra Archer.

Carey's helmet was actually removed by the force of the 139-kph (86-mph) delivery, with the batsman catching it before it dropped to the ground.

Steve Smith is on 4 and Carey is on 9.

Handscomb was bowled by Chris Woakes to leave Australia 14-3 at the time.

It is tied for the second-lowest score after the opening powerplay at this tournament. The lowest — 24-4 — was made by India in the first semifinal against New Zealand.

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10:50 a.m.

David Warner, Australia's most in-form batsman at the Cricket World Cup, has joined his captain back in the dressing room with just 16 balls bowled in the innings.

Warner was on 9 when he edged Chris Woakes to Jonny Bairstow at first slip, leaving Australia staggering at 10-2.

Peter Handscomb came in for his World Cup debut.

Warner has made 647 runs this tournament, one fewer than India opener Rohit Sharma.

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10:35 a.m.

Australia has lost its captain for a golden duck in the second over.

Aaron Finch was trapped lbw by Jofra Archer's first ball. Finch reviewed, but replays showed the ball was hitting the stumps.

Australia was 4-1 after seven balls.

Boos greeted the entrance of Steve Smith to partner David Warner in the middle.

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10:05 a.m.

Australia has won the toss and chosen to bat first against England in the second semifinal at Edgbaston.

England was unchanged, while Australia brings in Peter Handscomb for the injured Usman Khawaja. Handscomb will bat at No. 4, meaning Steve Smith goes up the order to No. 3.

There were scattered clouds on a sunny and warm morning in Birmingham.

Lineups:

England: Jonny Bairstow, Jason Roy, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan (captain), Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler, Chris Woakes, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Jofra Archer, Mark Wood.

Australia: Aaron Finch (captain), David Warner, Steve Smith, Peter Handscomb, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Jason Behrendorff, Nathan Lyon.

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6:20 a.m.

Host England takes on five-time champion Australia at Edgbaston in the second Cricket World Cup semifinal on Thursday.

The winner plays New Zealand at Lord's in the final on Sunday.

Australia leads long-time rival England 82-61 in completed ODI matches and 6-2 in World Cup games. It beat England by 64 runs in the group stage of the current edition.

Australia has two batters in the top five scorers at the tournament — openers David Warner (638) and Aaron Finch (507) — and the leading wicket-taker in Mitchell Starc (26). Joe Root is England's top scorer on 500 runs and its leading wicket-taker Jofra Archer has 17.

England, playing its first World Cup semifinal since 1992, has beaten Australia in three straight ODI games at Edgbaston.

Mostly overcast conditions and possible showers are forecast for Birmingham with temperatures up to 22 degrees (72 F).

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More AP cricket: www.apnews.com/Cricket and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

By Associated Press 12 July 2019, 12:00AM
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