Smith relishes chance to put off-field frustrations to one side

So far, Australia's Champions Trophy campaign has run about as smoothly as a three-wheeled cart on gravel.

The players are in the middle of a fractious employment dispute with Cricket Australia, with David Warner going so far as to question CA's desire for a successful campaign, and they could effectively be unemployed in three weeks' time. To top it off, they haven't played a single full match in this tournament.

And now they find themselves in the position where they must beat England; tournament favourites, already secure of a semi-final berth, playing at home and on a ground that has brought success and joyful memories.

It has clearly been a frustrating tournament for Australia, providing a challenge for Steven Smith to keep his players focussed on the elements they can control. But while he is adamant the MoU discussions haven't clouded the team's preparations, it can't be helpful to have the topic raised at every media appearance and dominate their social media landscape. Nor can it be easy to forget the more literal clouds that have doused their first two matches.

But Smith hopes the tribulations and the knockout pressure of this match will bring out the best in his players and see them emerge as cornered kangaroos, if you will.

"Obviously, a must-win match for us," said Smith, speaking at Edgbaston. "Yeah, it usually does bring out the best of the Australia cricket team in big tournaments. So let's hope this is the case tomorrow.

"It's not ideal we haven't got through a full fixture yet, but we can't control the weather. We can only control what we're doing, and we've prepared really well in the nets.

"The guys are looking forward to tomorrow. It's essentially a quarter-final for us, so we're ready to come up against a good England outfit."

While Australia's batsmen have struggled to find either time or many runs in the middle, Smith can at least take encouragement from the improvement shown by Mitchell Starc. After a wicketless innings in his first match back from a foot injury, Starc was menacing at The Oval, taking 4 for 29 as he tore through the Bangladesh tail.

A new pitch has been prepared at Edgbaston and, while there has been much anticipation to see Australia's four quickest bowlers in the same side for the first time, John Hastings has strong claims for inclusion. He was in the team selected for the eventual washout against New Zealand at Edgbaston, in which he took two wickets.

"I'm sure he'll be talked about, particularly as there's a new wicket," said Smith. "He's a guy that bowls that little bit slower and can hit the seam and generate, or get, whatever's in the wicket.

"Being a fresh wicket, there could be a little bit there, and he'll certainly come into contention, I'm sure."

It must almost be a relief for Smith to ponder selections and contemplate how the pitch might play. It the midst of the nagging MoU uncertainty, those thoughts provide a slice of cricket normality and, once they walk onto the Edgbaston field, it will become clear whether the obstacles have been a distraction or a means of galvanizing the players.

"I think the players have been really united through everything that's going on with the MoU back home," said Smith. "So the guys are in a good place. There hasn't been that much talk about it as a team."

"I said at the start before we got here, this is an ICC tournament. It only comes around every four years, the Champions Trophy, and it's the second-biggest tournament after the World Cup.

"So we've got to be focused on that. It's a very sort of cut-throat tournament with only three pool matches. So you've got to be switched on for each and every one of those, albeit we're only going to be getting through one potentially.

"I made sure that coming over here, that we're completely focused on this tournament and getting the job done at hand."