Trevor Bayliss avows to heed wake-up call as Australia lie in wait

Coach unruffled by shock Sri Lanka defeat but his side cannot afford to ‘take it easy’ any more at their World Cup

As in the 2011 World Cup in India when England single-handedly ensured that the qualifying stages retained our interest by losing to Ireland and Bangladesh and then tieing with India, Eoin Morgan’s side seem to be doing their best to sustain our attention during the qualifying process in 2019.

Historically the defeat to Sri Lanka on Friday should not have surprised us. After all, England had lost their previous three World Cup encounters against them. Yet the form book suggested it would be a gentle canter for Morgan and his fearless marauders. Until the match at Headingley this Sri Lankan side had appeared rudderless and miserable, finding plenty of excuses for playing badly: the weather, the schedule, the practice facilities, the pitches. By contrast, England were progressing serenely enough, despite the blip against Pakistan.

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from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2RuMswS