Moeen Ali feels England proved they can conquer the pressure that comes with being World Cup hosts with their heavy victory over South Africa.
England are widely seen as the team to beat given their number one status and home soil advantage, leaving a target on their back for the remaining nine teams to shoot at.
The Proteas were the first to get the chance on opening day at the Oval and were swept aside by 104 runs.
Good morning! 😎#WeAreEngland #CWC19#ExpressYourself pic.twitter.com/0c8toTrGBe — England Cricket (@englandcricket) May 31, 2019
England recovered to 311 after being sent in and losing Jonny Bairstow to the second ball of the competition, then closed out victory with a stirring effort in the field.
Ben Stokes' sensational one-handed catch in the deep was the focal point, capping an accomplished team effort that showed a team ready to live up to high expectations.
"The guys played really well, a great win like that massively settles the nerves," said Moeen.
"I feel that losing the toss, a 10.30am start, batting first in a home World Cup...that was the biggest pressure we could have faced, I think.
"One of the greatest catches of all time" 😲 Sensational take by Ben Stokes in the deep as the ball appears destined for the boundary Watch England v South Africa live on Sky Sports Cricket World Cup (404) or follow it here: https://t.co/Ee6tlCZDI6 pic.twitter.com/3LClWr9Es1 — Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) May 30, 2019
"Everyone was a bit nervous on the balcony watching. Just the pressure of being the home side and the number one side in the world. The pressure was always going to be on.
"I'm guessing everyone would have liked to chase but to win batting first under pressure, we adapted really well to the wicket."
England's second group game pits them against Pakistan on Monday, the team who knocked them out in the semi-finals of the Champions Trophy two years ago.
Back then the game was played on a slow, low Cardiff pitch that did little for the England side, whereas this time the teams play at the typically high-scoring Trent Bridge.
England thrashed Pakistan 4-0 on flat tracks in their recent one-day series but captain Eoin Morgan does not expect any favours from the International Cricket Council, who oversee the preparation of surfaces at global events.
"I just want as fair a pitch as possible, I don't want any advantage at all," Morgan said.
"I want the best cricket wicket possible. We want this tournament to be as entertaining as possible when it comes to the pitch.
"We still scored 300 against South Africa, people saw a lot of runs and hopefully they went away wanting to see more."
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