England captain Alastair Cook has said that he is confident that his team can win the ICC Champions Trophy 'without a doubt', after their seven-wicket victory against South Africa brought them into the finals of the eight-nation tournament.
Ecstatic at leading England to their second ICC 50-over final in the past 20 years, Cook said that a successful climax on Sunday at Edgbaston would be a massive achievement, adding that he is confident of winning as they have managed to come into the finals after a long time, the Guardian reports.
Refusing to downplay the significance of a tournament triumph, Cook said that although it is hard to compare between one-day and the Ashes, they were clear from the start that they wanted to win the Champions Trophy.
Expressing surprise at their well-executed win at The Oval given that the last England captain contemplating an ICC 50-over final was Michael Vaughan in 2004, Cook admitted that his team has entered 'uncharted waters', although he added that they had a relatively smooth victory against South Africa as their ball swung conditionally, probably due to the muggy conditions.
Praising pace bowler James Anderson for providing England's cutting edge, Cook further said that during such conditions, Anderson is the best bowler a team can rely upon, adding that they managed to keep the South African batsmen pressurised with the ball till the end.
{{/usCountry}}Praising pace bowler James Anderson for providing England's cutting edge, Cook further said that during such conditions, Anderson is the best bowler a team can rely upon, adding that they managed to keep the South African batsmen pressurised with the ball till the end.
{{/usCountry}}Admitting to facing a selection dilemma with Tim Bresnan ready to return after the birth of his first child, Cook also said that the team is lucky that they have back-up bowlers like Steven Finn, who managed to uphold the reputation of their side with his performance, despite Bresnan's absence.