England and West Indies have met five times in the World Cup, and barring the loss in the 1979 final at Lord’s, England have managed to win all the other encounters against the two-time World Champions.

But come Thursday, it will be a different stage and records are the last thing in the mind of English skipper Andrew Strauss for whom it’s a do-or-die match.

A loss in this game would mean end of the road for England, who will have to wait for another four years for a shot at the trophy they have never managed to win despite reaching the finals on three occasions.

Strauss feels that this adverse situation could help the team in the conquest for glory.

“It is a one-off. Hopefully, it is the start of a series of one-offs. I think the juices are flowing, there are a few butterflies in the stomach and I think that’s a great sign for us,” Strauss said.

“We’ve played well in the big matches over the past couple of years. The equation is very simple, this isn’t the time to go into our shells, we need to go out there and take the West Indies team on. I think mindset-wise that really helps you. I’m genuinely excited about it, we’ve got nothing to fear,” said Strauss, who would be hoping that Chennai proves to be their lucky ground once again.

England had beaten South Africa in their last match at this venue, before losing to Bangladesh in Mirpur, which has brought them to this dire situation.

The good news for the side is that both Strauss and off-spinner Graeme Swann, who were down with fever due to stomach bug, are all set for Thursday’s match and also trained with the team on Wednesday. The only worry for England is the fitness of Ajmal Shahzad.

On the other hand, West Indies is looking to seal their place in the quarterfinals with a win here.

The team from the Caribbean have already got a boost with the availability of Chris Gayle and skipper Darren Sammy pointed out that the batsman was “ready to go” against the English attack.

“It is good to have him in the line-up and it is a boost to us in the vital match tomorrow against England. His presence on the field will be a massive plus for us. He is a key member of our team,” said Sammy.

The skipper is hopeful that the positive mindset of the players would work in their favour unlike England, who are under tremendous pressure of a must win situation.

“It is a big game for England. For us, it is the same like the matches that we played against the Netherlands, Ireland, Bangladesh and we need to go there and execute our plans,” said Sammy.