World Cup 2019: 5 positive takeaways for Australia from their first warm-up game against England

#1 Steve Smith's century

Steve Smith was back to his best

There was a lot of talk about the reception that Steve Smith would receive from the English supporters. There were no surprises as he was greeted with boos and chants of 'cheat' when he came out to bat after Warner was dismissed. He did not let this get into his head and scored a fine century displaying his class.

He found his timing from the very first ball that he faced, driving Plunkett through the covers. He was excellent against the two English spinners and manipulated the field brilliantly and never allowed them to settle. He also put on a display of power-hitting at the death with the highlight of his innings being the shot off Stokes' bowling over deep cover for a maximum. He was dismissed for 116 in the 50th over by Tom Curran.

Steve Smith had played a big role in Australia's World Cup win in 2015 where he scored a fifty in every knockout match. Smith's form in the warm-up matches leading to the World Cup will be a huge boost for the Aussies.